A Saucerful of Secrets
by randomle26
Summary: All secrets weren't that bad right? Only the ones that will protect everyone? But is it worth it…really worth it? What happens if I lose my best friend, the love of my life, just because I kept one secret?
1. Chapter 1

**AN: Here's a new story idea (it's parallel to my story ****Underclass Hero****). I hope you enjoy it and ignore any noticeable errors!**

**I hope you do enjoy (most likely it's all going to be in Robin's POV).**

**Story Tittle is after a Pink Floyd Album: **_**A Saucerful of Secrets**_

**Song Used for Chapter: ****Do You Want to Know a Secret?**** by The Beatles**

* * *

_Listen__  
__Do you want to know a secret__  
__Do you promise not to tell, whoa oh, oh__Closer__  
__Let me whisper in your ear__  
__Say the words you long to hear__  
__I'm in love with you_

* * *

_**Richard**_

"Master Richard, now would be best for you to get up."

My eyes refuse to open until I rub the sleep out of my eyes. I look over and notice our butler, Alfred, handing me a t-shirt.

"Thanks Alfred," I say appreciatively. He smiles, "I believe you and Master Bruce were out again." I chuckle, "Yeah, we got back later then usual."

Alfred shakes his head, "Master Richard, you shouldn't occupy yourself with these activities. You're still young and I think most of us would prefer you live until you're 30."

Pulling my shirt on, I turn to Alfred, "If it makes you feel better there weren't any guns this time."

Before Alfred walked out the door, he looks at me concerned, "You're breakfast is on the table."

* * *

It was difficult to juggle being the "Boy Wonder", Batman's faithful sidekick and Richard Grayson, Bruce Wayne's oldest adopted son.

Of course this isn't something to think about when you're driving.

Looking out the window, I see a familiar face. I honk the horn to get _her_ attention, "Hey there beautiful."

She turns her head, giving me the opportunity to scan her body. She had black hair with purple highlights. Hiding underneath her black denim t-shirt is a black tank top that reads the word _WEIRD_ across her chest (which was completely appropriate for her personality). She was wearing the indigo jeans and boots, from HotTopic that I gave her as a present.

She puts her hand on her hip, "Is that what you say to all the random strangers on the street?"

I smile at her, "C'mon Raven, is that what you say to your best friend who's going to give you a ride to school?" Raven rolls her eyes and walks in front of my car and into the passenger seat.

"You looked like a cooler jock when you had the motorcycle?"

I scoff at her, "Vic said he would have it fixed by the end of the week." She rolls her eyes, "What the hell did you do to get it ruined so badly?"

_I ran it into the wall when I tried to hit Two-Face. _"I ran into a wall when I let Wally try to ride it by himself." She shoves me playfully, "You jocks can't even ride a motorcycle."

Playfully, I stick my tongue out at her, "Says the girl who believes meditation is relaxing as compared to sitting back with drink."

Raven was always…quirky. She was mysteriously different from all the girls at our school. She was a pacifist, but she could easily kick anyone's ass who annoyed her enough (Garfield Logan, a member of the football team, could speak from experience).

"Are you going to Kori's party tonight?" I ask her. Bruce wanted me to have a day of relaxation so he forbade me from going into the Batcave.

With an eye roll, Raven asks, "Why would I go to a party held by your exgirlfriend?" I shrug, "Because your best friend wants to spend time with you at a party."

She sighs and opens up her book, "You're always busy, hell I think I need to start calling Alfred my BFF." I give her my famous smirk, "Sorry, I've been…busy."

She eyes me funny, "If you want to keep secrets, that's fine." I bite my lower lip as I turn into the parking lot, "Rae, you're my best friend, you know that if I had something to tell you I would."

Raven chuckles and smiles sweetly, getting out of the parked car, "Dick if it bothered me that much, I'd talk to you about it. If it makes you feel better, you're on your way."

Before I can say anything else, Raven walks away from my car. I bite my inner cheek in frustration and begin to follow her. On my way there, I pass by my exgirlfriend, Koriand'r, and her best friend, Terra, giggling at me. Every time Kori waves flirtatiously at me, I have to hold in my inner vomit. They were the two most promiscuous cheerleaders I've ever met.

I force my head away when Wally and Victor come running at me. Victor smiles, "Almost got your bike ready, sadly not for the party."

"I've never really knew I needed my bike to look cool," I respond sarcastically. Victor is the only few people that took sarcasm well. He shoves me, "Yeah why do you think we hang out with you?"

Wally wraps an arm around my shoulder, "So, saw you coming in with the Ice Queen. You finally going to ask her out?" I blush slightly, "I have no idea what you're talking about."

Wally rolls his eyes, "You've been mooning after Raven since Terra pushed her in the hallway and you cleaned up her books in the 1st grade. How long has that been?"

I push Wally off me, "I'm…just waiting for the right moment to ask her out." Victor chuckles, "What are you waiting for, you both to turn 40 or something?" Wally smiles and tauntingly drags out, "You loooove her. You really really looooove her!"

"Love who?"

We turn around to see Roy Harper. Roy was once on the football team until the coach and his mentor/guardian, Oliver Queen, caught him with heroin. Apparently Raven was the one to help him recover from his addiction, and was why Roy considered _my_ Raven to be _his_ best friend as well.

I smile hiding any suspicion, "Nobody, don't worry."

Roy stares at us funny before hitching his backpack up and running towards Raven, who was talking to Toni Monetti and Donna Troy.

Watching Roy casually put her arm around Raven makes my skin crawl and my stomach bubble inside. Raven never really dated much, with the exception of Conner and Garth.

I grimace and Wally puts his hand on my shoulder to distract me. When I turn to the redhead, he smiles, "I think Raven might return your feelings if you tell her." I glare at him, "Just drop it."

* * *

Unfortunately Wally was correct about my crush- it's been a while so I don't really know if you can call it a crush- on Raven. The thought of holding Raven in my arms and being able to call her my girlfriend makes my heart warm. My dreams (day and night) painted a nice picture of us spending time together as a couple were lovely (if they weren't ruined by my imagination trying to torture me with fake men coming in and taking her away).

I was actually planning to use this party to show her how cool and suave I can be so she'll finally fall desperately in love with me and beg to be my girlfriend.

"So what are you going to be doing if you're not going to the party?" I curiously ask Raven.

Raven rolls her eyes, "Kori never liked me so going to her party to have her yelling would be quite an earful." I lean against the lockers next to her, "That's going to stop you? You crash parties all the time." She raises an eyebrow, "Why do you want me to go to the party so badly?"

I shrug feigning casualty, "I just want to spend time with my best friend." She puts her chemistry textbook away, "Parties are usually loud and nauseating with all the alcohol. And your friends throw parties just to see how much alcohol they can hold or how much dirt they can get on each other."

"Why won't you ever just go with the flow?" I ask her, slightly annoyed. She licks her bottom lip, "Because that's not fun."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I give her my famous crooked smile, "Would you really rather spend time at home with your dad and your stepmom?" Raven never liked her new mom considering her real mom moved to travel around Europe. At least that's what Arella Roth told a 8-year-old Raven when she left (apparently Raven found out that Trigon, her dad, was cheating).

Raven's face became emotionless. She bites her lower lip, "Really? Are you pulling that card just so I'll go to a _party_." I put my hand on my waist, "Yep. Besides…I miss you."

She closes her eyes in frustration, "If I say yes, will you stop asking?" I wrap my arms tightly around her waist, "Thank you, Rae." She laughs against my chest, "You're welcome, Dick."

I can't help but take this time to inhale her scent. She smells like jasmine, man does it smell good. I close my eyes and bury my nose into her scalp.

"Uh, Dick? Are you planning on letting go anytime soon?"

My eyes immediately open, and I pull away, "Sorry, just got carried away."

She smiles sweetly at me and puts her leather messenger bag over her shoulder, "Geez Dick, you need to stop the random daydreaming. You continue that and you might fall asleep into my hair or something."

That wouldn't be the worse thing.

* * *

I feel a hand on my thigh as I'm patiently waiting for the door to open and for Raven to walk in. "Hey Dick!" slurs Kori. Oh dear god why is this girl so touchy?

"Hey Kori, what can I help you with?" She sensually assaults my neck, "Why are you here so lonely?"

Victor was teaching Karen how to play pool correctly, Wally was hitting on random girl, and Garfield was making out with Terra.

"Kori would you mind getting off me?" She growls and pulls away. Staring at me, she slaps me hard across the face (if she weren't drug it probably would've hurt more).

I rub my jaw, "What was that for?" She puts her hand defiantly on her hip, "Don't you want me? I'm very hot and very popular! We've done it before, why can't we do it again?" I bite my lower lip and look past her red hair, "Hey look there's Garth." Her attention on me is replaced by some odd lust for Garth. She runs away and tackles Garth.

"Is that how you get all exes to leave you alone?" I turn around to that familiar voice and have to prevent my lower jaw from dropping.

Raven looked even more beautiful with all of her hair, straitened and lying on her shoulder. She's wearing a tight, black, laced dress that defines her curved body beautifully. And the fact that she's wearing heels defines her legs radiantly.

"You look…really amazing." I smile and stand up. "Raven I wanted to talk to you-"

"Hey Raven," greets an unpleasant, cool voice. Raven smiles politely, "Hi Jason."

Jason smirks at her, "You look even more beautiful then you did yesterday, Raven." I see a light blush cascade her cheeks. I growl into my beer can.

Jason smirks at me before turning back to Raven, "Would you like to dance with me?" She moves her hair behind her hair, "I…urm…sure why not?" She turns to me, "Richard, you wanted to talk to me about something?" I shrug sarcastically, "Don't let me stop you." _I was just going to tell you about my undying love for you, but that doesn't matter that much._

As Raven begins to be swept away by Jason, I make my way over to the bar, where Wally is.

"Hey Dick? What do you want?" I growl at him, "Which bottle is tequila?" He raises an eyebrow and points to it. Grabbing the bottle in my hand, I pull the cork and begin chugging.

Wally puts his hand on my arm, "Whoa, Dick. Slow down. What's got you all upset?" I wipe my lip of tequila, "I was going to tell Raven how I feel, but she decided that it would be much more important to dance with Jason Todd."

"And alcohol is your answer?" I shrug, "My first idea was to kick his ass, but then I realized this was a nice shirt and I didn't want blood on it."

* * *

_**Raven**_

"You're a great dancer, Raven," compliments Jason. He pulls my waist closer to him as Sia hits her high notes in _Titanium_.

"Raaaaveeen!" calls a slurred voice. I push myself away from Jason and see Richard stumbling towards us and Wally following after him.

I walk closer to Richard and he falls before my feet. I try to pull him up by his arm but he uses this time to wrap his arm around my waist, "Richard are you drunk?"

"Yes, because you wouldn't talk to me!"

I look at Wally confused, "How is he drunk? He was at the bar for five minutes?" He shrugs, "He kept chugging on tequila." "Why?" I ask still confused.

Wally opens his mouth, but Richard tightens his grip on my stomach. I look down at Richard and he murmurs, slurring every word, "Don't let go Raven. You're my best friend, and we're going to be best friends forever."

I pat his head, "That's great Richard. Why don't I take you home?"

"No! Bruce will get mad if I'm drunk…again," Richard yells. "Well I can't take you to my house," I argue. I bite my lower lip and pull him off my stomach. Putting his arm around my shoulder, I begin heading him out towards my car.

* * *

I never thought I'd see this place again. I decided the best place to take a drunk Richard would be the tree house we built when we were in the 3rd grade.

Richard smiles up at the tree, "Yeah! I and Raven are going to play in the tree house!" It's a good thing he's dunk otherwise he wouldn't have made a grammar mistake like that.

I stare at the ladder, "You think you can climb this thing?" Richard looks at me. I wait patiently for him to answer but all he says is, "You're really pretty."

I sigh and push Richard against the ladder, "Okay climb, Circus Boy." Richard smiles at me, "I get it!" I smile politely at him; apparently I was the only one who was actually allowed to make small jokes like that.

Richard begins climbing four feet off the ground before realizing that he was about to sway and fall off.

I put my hand on his back as Richard begins to laugh hysterically. He smiles, "I can't climb."

_Damn, how am I going to get him up there?_

I bite my lower lip. I can't believe I'm about to do this.

I pull Richard down by his belt and he falls, sitting on the floor. He laughs, "Whoa Raven tried to take my pants off!" I glare and begin throwing up my high heels into the tree.

Ignoring the small splinters piercing my skin, I climb up. I begin to pull Richard up and climb up the ladder.

"This is like a fun ride!" slurred Richard. I'm going to kill Richard once he regains his consciousness.

* * *

"Raven, are you leaving?!" exclaims the drunk Richard.

Damn, he caught me trying to sneak out the front. Richard was just lying there and I knew he knew how to get home so I wasn't entirely worried.

"Richard…" I look at his angelic face. He's looking at me wide-eyed, like a little puppy.

"Raven you promised! You promised you would never leave me!"

I close my eyes in frustration. Dad was going to be worried that I wasn't at home, but I've been out by myself for a while…and he did cheat on my mom forcing her to drown her sorrows in the landscape of Europe, so I guess I could torture him for another night.

I bite my lip, "Richard I don't know if I should stay." His eyes water a little, "No. You can't leave me."

* * *

"_Raven I'm sorry! I didn't mean to do it!" said a young Richard. It had been the first week of the 3__rd__ grade._

_Even after two years, Richard was still getting used to his new school. His parents had died when he was younger and Bruce Wayne adopted him away from his circus life._

_Everyone made fun of the fact that we were friends and Richard would tag along after me like a puppy, a cute sweet puppy. _

_Richard was apologizing for pushing me off the swing set on a dare. I had been crying in front of the classroom, and when he saw me crying he felt guilty. I knew he was just trying to make friends, but it still hurt when my elbows touched the mulch._

_I shake my head and wipe my eyes against my navy blue sleeve, "Then why did you push me?" I looked at Richard and notice his blue eyes are looking at me in sadness and fear, "Malchoir dared me to push you off."_

_My lower lip is trembling, "But you didn't have to follow the dare!" He lowers his head, "I'm sorry Raven. Please stop being mad at me."_

"_You hurt me Richard. I thought we were friends, best friends."_

"_We are!" Richard argues, "I just…I…"_

_I begin to stand, "I need to go." Richard's eyes go wide, "Where are you going?" I shake my head at him and push my glasses, "I need to be alone. You hurt me and…" Richard runs up to me, his little sneakers squeaking against the tile, "No, you can't leave me!"_

"_I don't want to be friends with someone who-"_

"_I'm sorry Raven! I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you! I'm sorry, please don't leave me! I'll promise to never hurt you again, you just can't leave me. Not like they did!"_

* * *

I lick my lower lip, "Okay, I'll stay for tonight!"

Richard wipes his tears and smiles brightly, "Yeah! Me and Raven!"

I crawl over and watch as Robin lies his head down against the wood. He smiles up at me, looking dreamily at me. I've only seen this look on his face when he thought he fell in love with Kori. I hope I'm being paranoid.

"Rae Rae?" Richard asks. I bite the inside of my cheek, "Yes, Richard?"

"You're cute when you call me by my full name! Well you're cute when you do everything."

I chuckle nervously at him, "Richard I think you need to sleep."

Putting my hand on his face, I'm about to move his hair out of his face so he can speak peacefully.

As I'm about to close his eyelids, Richard takes my wrists forcing me to fall on his drunk body.

"Mmmm Rae, you smell so good."

"Don't vomit in my hair, Dick," I warn my best friend. He laughs heartily and continues to bury his nose in it, "I wouldn't want anything to ruin your beauty!"

"Richard, you need to-"

"I love you Raven," Richard blurts. My eyes go wide, but I decide I'm too tired to fight with the drunk Richard, "I love you too, Richard"

"No Raven I _really_ love you!"

"And I really love you, Richard," I argue slightly tired.

"Nooo you don't get it!" Richard pushes me off and crawls over to the corner of the room. I move my hair out of my face and sigh as I crawl over to him. I put my hand on his shoulder, "You need to sleep, Richard."

"You won't ever leave me, right Raven? You promise, right?" asks Richard, whose eyes are getting watery again.

I nod sweetly at this troubled boy, "Yes I promise."

"Even if I mess up?" I raise my eyebrow, "Why would you mess up?"

Richard doesn't answer me. Instead he moves over and puts his head in my lap. I sigh tiredly and run my hand, petting his hair.

"I love you Raven," which he repeatedly murmurs as he finally falls asleep.

* * *

**The whole Richard trying to reveal his feelings I remembered from a scene from **_**FRIENDS**_**.**

**I hope you like this new story! I'll try and update the other ones too.**

**Please Read and Review!**


	2. Chapter 2

**AN: Here's the 2****nd**** chapter of this story…I have so many ideas for how I want to do the ending (which is really odd) and I'm trying to come up with alternatives to how I want to end it.**

**Please ignore any errors and I hope you enjoy the story!**

**Song Used: Beekeeper's Daughter by The All-American Rejects**

* * *

_You're a pretty little flower__  
__I'm a busy little bee__  
__Honey, that's all you need to see__  
__I can take you for an hour__  
__But then I'm gonna leave__  
__Honey I know you'll wait for me_

* * *

_**Richard**_

Ugh, what was wrong with me?

My head was aching, the sun had increased voltage, and I think I have pieces of wood in my ear.

"Wake up sleepyhead!" screeches a voice I loved (but at the moment hated). I rub my groggy eyes, "Raven?"

Opening my eyes fully, I see Raven sitting in front of me in sweatpants and a Bob Marley tank top. Her smile could not be wider.

"Why must you be so loud?" I ask as I rub my forehead. She laughs, which doesn't sound as melodic as usual, "I'm actually not speaking that loudly, you douche." I stare at her confused, "What happened last night? I…I remember you in a dress…you were dancing with Jason…and then Wally let me chug on tequila."

"Yeah," Raven confirmed, "I'm impressed by how easily you got drunk." I shake my head at her, "Rae, what happened?"

"You were drunk and you interrupted my dance with Jason. Because I couldn't take you back to your house or mine, I took you here. Then when I tried to leave, you almost cried, so I stayed. Then you fell asleep in my lap, but you would wake up every 10 minutes to throw up out the window. It wasn't until you passed out did I decide to go home and change into something more comfortable."

I groan, "God I feel terrible." She smiled, "You were drunk in less than 5 minutes, which I didn't even know was physically possible. What got you so upset that you needed to take a drive in alcoholism?"

I bite my lower lip, "I…I don't know." _I just hated seeing you with some son of a bitch who can't keep his hands off you._

She nods and hands me a water bottle. I ask her what's in the bottle which Raven replies, "It's just water." I give her a small smile, even in sweats she's still just so beautiful.

"So what did you want to talk to me about?"

I raise an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?" She shrugs casually, "Before I was dancing with Jason, you said you wanted to talk to me about something. What was it?"

"Uh…I…um I…it's not important," I stutter. She raises an eyebrow, "Remember what I said about you keeping secrets?" I nod, "Vaguely. Why?" She closes her eyes and looks at me concerned, "Like I said before, you're on your way."

I gulp. I don't want my secrets to ruin my friendship with Raven. Besides Bruce, she has been in my life the longest and I intended to keep it that way.

"You're lucky it's Saturday otherwise Bruce would kill you for walking into school with a hangover," said Raven, interrupting my thoughts. I take another sip of my water, "Are you going to work today?" Raven worked at the mall food court, but considering how many times she shows up I'm surprised they haven't fired her yet. (Raven was an amazing person, and can be intimidating as hell, so I understand why no one would fire her.)

Raven shakes her head, "I was afraid to leave." I stare at her, completely apprehensive, "Why?" She looks as if she's trying to contain her laugh, "You wouldn't let me leave last night." I stare, "What?" She cocks her head to the right, "Last night you kept getting weepy every time I tried to go home."

"What exactly did I do?"

She laughs and kisses my cheek, "You kept asking me not to leave you and telling me how much you love me. I swear to god, Drunk Dick is really adorable."

As she climbs down the tree house, I can't help but sit still in my place. I was now tempted to hide in this tree house and never come out. I feel so embarrassed. The only positive about this is she's blaming the alcohol…but Raven learned about Latin phrases and how there was a specific one towards alcohol…oh dear lord.

I'm so screwed.

* * *

"Alfred," I bellow as I'm walking down the stairs. The family butler smiles, "Yes, Master Richard?"

"Bruce says we're going out of town for a while," I state. Alfred nods, "I know, I'm sure you two going on a cruise for a week is a very plausible excuse."

I smile politely at the elder man, "If Raven calls, would you mind telling me immediately?" Alfred nods, and I grab my bag ready to meet Bruce.

"Master Richard?" Alfred calls. I raise an eyebrow, "Yeah? Alfred I have to go soon."

"Aren't you forgetting something?" I turn around putting my full attention on the butler, "What could I be forgetting?" Alfred pauses before sighing, "Nothing sir, you should go."

* * *

_**Raven**_

"Hey Rae," greets Roy. I smile, "Hey you do your Chem. homework?" He shrugs, "I did, but I don't' think I did it right."

I smile, "So what's up?" He shrugs, "I had a great date with Jade this weekend." I raise my eyebrows, "Wow, you've pined after her for what, an hour?" He scoffs, "Very funny, so what'd you do this weekend?"

"Just went to work, filled out college applications, thought of a gift for me and Richard's anniversary."

"You two are finally dating?" questions Roy. My eyes go wide, "No our friendship anniversary." Roy smiles down at me, "You're still blushing."

I bite my lower lip, "You know as well as I do that my crush on Richard passed, plus he doesn't really see me that way." Roy nudges me, "The fact that you still think that sounds like it hasn't passed."

"I've learned to suppress it, just like I do with all my emotions," I tell. He shrugs, "Whatever babe. So what'd you get him?"

I pull out a bag from my messenger bag, "It's this motorcycle jacket worn by some actor in some famous movie…I don't know, Victor said it was a good idea." Roy smirks, "You two should really go on a date or something."

I shake my head, "Trust me, Richard doesn't see me like that at all."

* * *

"Miss Raven, what a pleasant surprise," cheerfully greets Alfred when I knock on the doors of Wayne Manor.

"Hey Alfred," he was probably one of the sweetest old men I've ever met. He smiles, "Would you like to come in for some herbal tea?"

I shake my head graciously, "No thank you, do you know if Richard's home?"

Alfred's smile falters, "Master Richard is on a cruise with Master Wayne." My eyes go wide, "Oh…um, I'm sorry I disturbed your time, Alfred."

"Miss Raven," Alfred calls to stop me, "He said that he was answering his mobile if you need to contact him."

* * *

"Pick up your damn phone, Dick," I mutter more to myself then to the phone.

"Hello," answers a deep, husky voice.

"Dick?" I call. "Raven, what's up?" I run my hand through his hair, "Hey, Richard, what are you doing?"

"Oh nothing much, just…this cruise is so much fun!"

I close my eyes, "That…that's awesome." "Raven are you okay?" asks Richard, concerned.

"I…I'm fine, I just thought you and I would hang out today."

Richard chuckles, "Nothing we can't do when I get back, right?" I open my eyes and wipe at them, "Right, you're completely right…I'll see you when you get back."

* * *

"_W-What's your n-name?"_

_I look up to see Richard Grayson. When the teacher introduced him to us, he barely smiled. The poor boy was so lonely that no one had offered to sit with him. You'd think that people would befriend him just because of his parents (I guess that made them pure for not pitying him)._

"_I'm sorry?"_

_He sits next to me, "W-what's y-your name? Y-you were the only one t-that let me s-sit with you."_

_I smile respectfully, "You need to chill. I can't understand if you're always stuttering!"_

_Richard cracks a small smile, "Will you tell me your name?" I nod, "Raven."_

"_That's a pretty name…Raven."_

_I giggle, "You're very sweet, Richard." He blushes slightly, "T-Thanks."_

_I resume to my activities. He smiles sweetly, "What are you doing?"_

"_I'm finishing my sculpture. Once I'm done, I'm going to paint it all nice and pretty." He smirks, "Is that why you're here in the art room?" I nod, "I'm making this airplane for my mom. You wanna make something?"_

_His eyes shine, "I…I don't know what I'd make." I get up and run to the cabinets. I put down some clay on the table, "We can make something together. I know how to make a bird! You know, like our names?"_

_He smiles, "I…I'd like that." I laugh, "Cool!" __"You're really pretty," I hear Richard whisper._

_"What was that?"_

_"Sorry?" Richard begins to blush, "D-did you h-hear t-that?" I nod, "That…that's really nice."_

_He smiles, "Really?" I can't help but blush as well, "No…no one's ever really talked to me like that."_

* * *

_**Richard**_

I have never been so tired in my life. God following The Penguin to France was such a pain in the ass, especially when it took 4 days just to find him.

"Master Richard," calls Alfred from my door. I smile at the elder man, "Hey Alfred, what do you need?"

"Have you spoken to Miss Raven?" I raise my eyebrow. It was really blunt from Alfred and I wasn't so used to it.

"Just talked to her once, four days ago. Did she talk to you?" Alfred shrugs, "We played chess some days but nothing about you sir. She must be really upset."

"Why would she be upset, Alfred?" I ask entirely worried. Alfred hesitates before answering, "What day did she call you?"

"Monday," I answer. He shakes his head, "What _day_?"

Let's see, today was the 24th…oh shit!

I look at the calendar in my room. Oh my good I'm in so much trouble!

I take out my cell phone and press speed dial.

"Please answer your phone, Rae."

"_You've reached Raven Roth. If I haven't answered, that means I'm probably doing something better with my life. Leave a message if it's that important."_

"Hey Raven," I say, completely guilty, "I'm so sorry I forgot, is there a chance we can meet. I'll buy you dinner. I'm at the café you love near the old bookstore."

* * *

"I'm here Dick, what do you want?"

I look up at Raven, standing there a clad in jeans and a sleeveless, chiffon button-up. I smile trying to convey innocence, "Can you sit down?"

She looks agitated, buy sits down anyways. She leans on her hand, "What do you want, Dick?"

"I'm sorry Rae…I didn't mean to forget."

"If that's all you're going to say, I'm done," before I can stop her, she gets up and leave.

I place a twenty on the table and go chasing after my best friend.

"Raven please wait," I beg to Raven. She turns to me, but her eyes aren't watered. She glares, "What do you want, Richard?"

"I want to apologize, I want to redeem myself," I answer honestly.

"Then tell me where you were," she demands. I stop in my track staring at an angry Raven. "I…I just…I was-"

"If you won't tell me where you were, can you at least tell me why?"

I grab at her hands, "Rae you know if I could tell you-"

"What kind of best friend are you? I've known you since you were in the first grade. You've never kept real secrets of me until the 9th grade. Why?"

I open my mouth and plead to Raven silently. She grimaces, "Forget it."

"I…I can't."

She stops dead in her tracks to look at me, "You can't what?" I wipe at my eyes, "You have to trust me…I want to tell you, believe me I-"

"I don't know if I can anymore, Dick. I just…I think I need my space."

"Why?" I ask feeling slightly angry, but I push anyway. "Why is it that every time you and I are caught in a fight, your solution is to run away from me?"

"I don't know what else to do, Richard. You…you're my best friend and the only person I've trusted the most…having you lie to me like this hurts."

"Raven," I pull her close to me, "I…I would never try to hurt you like this."

I take in how close we are to each other. Our faces were inches away from connecting by a kiss. God did I want to kiss her, just enfold her in my arms and hold her tightly to my body.

"I…I need my space, Dick," she whispers against my face.

"No, I'm not letting you go. I'm not letting you leave me."

"I wouldn't," answers Raven. In her eyes I see honesty and sincerity. I raise my eyebrow, "What?"

She sighs and wraps her arms around me, pulling me into a hug, "That night you got instantaneously drunk, you made me promise to never leave you. I always keep my promises, you know that."

* * *

"_Richard, don't cry. It's no big deal"_

_I wipe at my eyes when I turned to Raven's gentle and pale face. She was so kind and so sweet._

_But it won't stop my crying._

"_Raven…they ruined it though! Just because…just because I was weak!"_

_She put her arm on my shoulder, "You're not weak, Richard. They're just jerks. It's their fault, it's not yours."_

"_It's everything that reminds me of the day we became best friends!" I stare up at her violet eyes, "But they broke our bird. I couldn't even protect it."_

_She smiles and wraps her arm around me, "Richard, they are bullies. They didn't like that we're friends…it's not your fault."_

"_It's not yours," I reason, "And…I don't want them to hurt you." She giggles and kisses my cheek, "They won't hurt me…because you'll protect me."_

_I sniffle and look at her determined, "You're right. I'm going to protect you, I'm going to learn how to protect you and how to protect me…and I won't let anyone ever hurt you."_

_"You could be a big superhero." She smiles and ruffles my dark hair, "And I'll be by your side, I promise."_

_I look up, hoping she sees my dazzling eyes, "Really? You promise?" She kisses my cheek once more and I feel warmth radiating off her. She looks at me, eyes full of compassion (even for such a young girl), "I always keep my promises."_

* * *

I push her softly away, "Are you still mad at me, Rae?" She nods and wipes at her eyes, "Yes, but if you're lucky it'll pass."

"I'm really sorry I forgot, I didn't mean to."

She exhales, "I know. But, I still have a gift…and I can't fit it so it's pointless for me to fit it."

"What are you talking about, Rae?" I ask her curiously. She provides me with a small smile and takes out a plastic bag, "You missed out on the actual date so you don't get to see my effort in wrapping."

I chuckle and take the bag. I pull out a leather jacket, just like the one Marlon Brando wore. I look gleefully at Raven, "This is…amazing, how did you…" She answers when my voice trails off, "I will make you feel guilty. It took me at least 5 days to find that jacket. You better like it."

"I love it Raven. God my gift…in comparison…it…" I sigh and take out her gift from my pocket.

She stares at the black box in my hand, "Whoa…Richard! What the hell, we've always had a spending limit!" I chuckle, "It's nothing."

Raven's eyes light up when she sees the necklace in the box. It didn't cost much, but I know how much it meant to Raven. It was a small _Sally_ voodoo doll, to represent Sally from _Tim Burton's Nightmare Before Christmas._

Any source of anger is gone from her eyes, "Richard it's…thank you."

"It's not the only gift I have for you."

She raises an eyebrow, "What are you talking about?"

I take a deep breath, feeling brave. I stare at Raven, doing my best to focus and not to be distracted by her immensely noticeable beauty.

"I have another present…something I've been meaning to give you for a _really_ long time now…maybe since the 7th grade maybe longer."

"Richard what are you…" I ignore her voice trailing off and rub her chin with my thumb, "Please keep in mind that I've kept this in for a pretty long time."

Throwing caution to the wind, I place my lips firmly over hers. I wrap my arms tightly around her small waist and embrace her. I want her to feel just how much I cared for her. I want her to taste the love I've contained for who knows how long.

God…I'm some weird lovesick puppy, and I didn't care.

Raven pulls away, forcing the sweet taste of Raven out of my mouth (although this aftertaste isn't really half bad). She looks up at me. "Richard," she starts but doesn't finish. I run my hand through her soft hair. I remember doing this for so long, but now it seems different this time.

"What was that, Richard?"

"I told you, it's something I've kept in for a _really_ long time."

"So that night…the night you kept telling me…how you loved me…"

"I don't really remember that, but I can't deny it. I do love you. Really…and I know it's all sudden and it's all new, but I can't keep it in any longer and I-"

She swallowed all my other words with her lips. God her tongue was much less stiff and poky like Kori's.

For once, I'm the one to pull away. She smirks, and the next 5 words she says surprises me on so many levels.

"Took you long enough, Dick."

* * *

**How was that? I hope it was somewhat good. **

**Please Read and Review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**AN: Here's the next chapter….I hope you enjoy it (and please ignore the errors to this chapter)**

**Song: Heart by The Pretty Reckless**

* * *

_Always wanted to be__  
__Always wanted you to see my heart__  
__Always wanted your love__  
__Always wanted but never was_

* * *

_**Richard**_

"_Okay, what was so big that you needed to bother me and my history homework, Richard?" greets Raven when she opens her door._

_I awkwardly rock on both of my feet, "I needed to talk to my best friend. Is your dad home?"_

_Raven stiffens at the mention of her dad, but she lets it pass, "He's 'at work'. You can come in." I find it odd that we both knew the hidden meaning._

_I walk in and we run up to Raven's bedrooms. Raven didn't have the typical girl bedroom. Her band posters and framed artwork scared the crap out of me._

"_I need your help," I state simply. She smirks, "When don't you? What's the problem?"_

"_Barbara is meeting me at the diner tonight. And she kinda...I…I don't want to ruin it." "So what's the problem?" she repeats._

"_I've never kissed a girl," I murmur. I wondered if Raven heard me, until she started laughing. If it had been anyone else, I would've been uncomfortable with the laughing._

"_What do you mean you've never kissed a girl?" _

_I blush, embarrassed by my best friend's interrogation, "I…I don't really know that many girls worth kissing."_

_Raven smiles, "That's sweet Richard." I look up at her, "H-have you e-ever kissed a boy?" Now it was Raven's turn to blush._

_I hang my head, "It's so embarrassing." She nudges me, "Is she expecting you to kiss her?" I shake my head, "I…I don't know. I just…you know just in case…I thought if she does, she would think I was a loser because I didn't know how."_

"_Barbara's not going to think you're a loser, Dick." I shake my head, "God I just…I wish I could show her that I'm not pathetic."_

_Raven was silent. When I look up at her, I notice she's thinking hard about something. She closes her eyes, something she only does when she's frustrated. She moves me so I'm facing her. She fluffs the pillow of my bed underneath her butt, so she's comfortable._

"_You so owe me for this."_

_I raise an eyebrow, but wait patiently for Raven. She moves my head up, "So I'm going to teach you how not to make yourself a complete idiot in front of Barbara."_

"_Raven what are you-"_

"_No! No questions. Just…focus."_

_She puts her hand under my chin, "When the moment's right, and don't lecture me about how you won't know the moment, you'll brush a piece of her hair away. Now do it."_

_I follow her instructions and move a strand of her dark hair. She smiles, "Then you're going to lean in…so you're nose are almost touching…and you'll kiss her."_

_I grimace, "You make it sound so simple." She giggles lightly, "It is, you goofball, you're just overreacting." Our noses touch lightly and I'm shocked when Raven abruptly says, "Now kiss me."_

"_B-but I-I-" I start to stutter but I'm stopped when Raven puts her hands on my thigh, "You want me to help you or not?" I was hesitant with the answer, but I decide her help is better then no help. _

"_Now put your lips on mine." I'm bothered by how Raven is making this sound like some weird instructional video. I close my eyes and place my lips on her face._

"_That's my cheek Richard." I open my eyes and pull away, "I'm sorry…I'm just…I'm really nervous."_

"_It's just me. Look Richard, you're just…you don't close your eyes immediately. Look into my eyes." I do as I'm instructed and stare into my best friend's eyes._

_I never realized how beautiful her violet eyes were. Wow. Were they natural? Then again, when did Raven have time to buy contacts?_

"_Now…slowly…lean in." I can't exactly remember how but next thing I know, Raven's lips are on mine. God those lips are so soft. _

_Raven runs her pale hands through my black hair as I (not sure if it was conscious) put my hands around her petite waist. Raven pulled me closer giving me the opportunity to slip a finger underneath her t-shirt. Raven's tongue entered my mouth just as my fingers began drawing circles underneath her shirt._

_I whimper softly when Raven pulls her mouth away. She smirks, "Now you know how to kiss a girl."_

* * *

"Have you seen Raven?" I ask Roy, when I see him the next day.

He smirks at me, "What's got you all jumpy, Grayson?" I tap my fingers against my backpack strap, "I just…I want to talk to her about something."

Roy raises an eyebrow, "I talked to her last night, before she went out to see you. Why what happened?" I bite the insides of my cheek, "No…no reason."

He smirks, "Then calm down, Grayson." I watch him walk away, doing my best to figure out how I'm going to talk to Raven.

"I hear you're looking for me, Grayson."

I turn my head to stare at my uniquely dressed best friend. She walks up to me so I'm looking at her black combat boots.

"Hi," I say shyly. She smiles and walks closer to me, "Hi, Dick."

I lean towards her, "About last night…" Raven's smile falters, "_What_ about last night?" I bite my lower lip and stutter, "I…I really…um…"

Raven chuckles, her mood lightening a little, "Wow Richard. I'm getting a déjà vu…kinda like the _first_ time we kissed." I smile at her, "It was just as hard as it was when I was twelve."

Raven put her hand on the side of my face. I lean into her hand for comfort. She looks up at me, "What about last night?"

I kiss her palm and stare into her beautiful violet eyes, "I…I really would like to do that again." She smirks at me, "Maybe we can talk after school."

I open my mouth to say something as she removes her hands and walks away from me. She looks beautiful from the behind as she's walking towards Donna and Toni.

* * *

_**Raven**_

"You two have been best friends forever, and you already know each other better than most couples."

"That's not what I'm worried about, Toni," I argue. "Then what's the problem, Raven?" asks Donna.

I bite my lower lip and stare at my two best girl-friends. I put down the paint brush, "Richard, despite how long I've known him, has secrets. No…_relationship_ should start off with secrets, Donna."

"Actually Raven, it's not entirely terrible if a relationship does," reasons Toni, "You're relationship is about getting to know each other so you're comfortable with sharing these secrets. Have you told Richard everything?"

* * *

"_Mommy why are you leaving?"_

_Arella glares at me, "I can't stay here. Your father… hurt me."_

"_Arella!" Trigon shouts, "You do not tell our daughter about-"_

"_She deserves to know the truth! She needs to know why you have driven out and broke our entire family!"_

"_Mommy, Daddy, please stop fighting!" I yell in attempt to distract them. _

_Arella roughly grabs my wrist, "Your father is a cheating bastard that should be living in hell." I wipe at my eyes, "Let go, Mommy. You're hurting me!"_

"_Raven, listen to me-"_

"_Let our daughter go, Arella!"_

* * *

"He knows what matters."

Toni puts her hand on mine, "He doesn't know all about your mom. You both have secrets. And in the relationship, you'll both learn to really reveal your secrets."

I move her hand from mine, "Thank you for your concern, but…we've been best friends forever. I guess…I guess it would be hard to…"

Donna gets up from her stool to wrap her arms around my shoulder, "We know, Rae."

* * *

_**Richard**_

"I want to talk to you about something, Dick."

I turn to Bruce as he pulls his eyes away from the computer in the BatCave. I tilt my head, "What Bruce?"

Bruce gets up, "Rumor has it that you have a new girlfriend."

I can't help but lightly blush, "Um…I…not... not officially." Bruce's stoic expression doesn't change, "Who is it?"

I sigh, "Raven. Raven Roth."

Bruce nods, "I'm not going to tell you not to see her." Bruce stops me from saying anything when he says, "But you can't tell her about this."

Honestly, I'm not shocked when Bruce says this. I just cross my arms over my chest and ask, "Why the hell not?" Bruce growls, "Do I really need to answer that?"

"She is still my best friend, Bruce. I…I've kept this secret from her for so long. I'm not saying I'll tell her tonight or anything, but…I want to tell her eventually."

"Richard we wear masks for a reason. To protect ourselves and the people we care about. You bring her in this, you make us vulnerable and you make her a target," Bruce reasons.

"I…I can't lie to her," I plead softly, "I…I want to be with her."

Bruce bites his lower lip and puts his hand on my shoulder, "I know. But you're the one making the choice."

* * *

_**Raven**_

"Raven?"

I turn and face my dad. I wrap my arms over my chest, "Tracie's not here. What could you possibly say to me?"

He walks up and loosens his tie, "Raven, how long are you going to be mad at me?" I shake my head, "I don't know, Trigon. You were the one to cheat on Arella, not me."

"Raven…Arella and I were never in love. I know…I know that doesn't make it right."

"Then why are you mentioning it?" I ask. He shakes his head, "I know you're mad that I did that to your mom. But I know for a fact that I am the one who decided to take care of you and not to run away off to Europe. I held you at night when you were crying from a nightmare, when you fell off your bike, or when you were in the emergency room for breaking your leg at school."

I shake my head, "I have to be somewhere tonight."

"Raven," Trigon calls, "Do you…do you remember your childhood with your mom?"

I rub the back of my neck, "Only in patches."

"What do you remember?"

I have no idea where this was going, but obviously Trigon was trying to make a point. I sigh, too tired to argue, "Just… you and mom would fight, mom would grab me or walk towards me…and then you two were fighting again. Why does it matter?"

Trigon shakes his head, "If you think harder…you'll truly remember."

* * *

"I like that we think alike. Going to the same places when we're troubled."

I turn around to see Richard standing near the oak tree in the park. I smirk, "What's got you bothered?" He shrugged and put his hands in the pocket of his jacket, "Something with Bruce. You?" I close my eyes in frustration, "Trigon."

I sit back against the tree and Richard follows, "You and me with our Daddy problems." I smirk, "I guess we were destined to be together."

Richard grasps my hand in his, "I like the sound of that."

I turn to him, "Do…do you think…we could make it work?" He tilts his head towards me, "I would want to give it a try. I…I've wanted to date you even before my first kiss."

I smile and see the sweet little boy, who was lost and was only a couple of years from finally being found. I smile at him, "I think I really knew I wanted to date you _especially_ after that kiss."

"I just want to be with you Raven. I know that I have some secrets but I want you to know that…eventually…I will tell you everything…because…because I love you."

I smile at him, "I normally get the 'I love you' a month after the relationship starts." He smiles down at me, "Well we've been friends for a while…we're just a couple steps ahead."

I lean my head on his shoulder, "I…I love you, too, Richard. And…I have secrets too."

He kisses the top of my head, "We have time, Raven. And I'm not going anywhere." I smile up at him before placing my lips against his, "Neither am I."

* * *

**I hope you enjoyed the story.**

**Please Read and Review!**


	4. Chapter 4

**AN: My final note on the last chapter might've confused some people, but I'm still continuing this story (that was my bad). Please ignore the errors in this chapter and enjoy reading!**

**Song: Treasure by Flyleaf**

* * *

_I am in awe and in shock_  
_I'm in love and given away_  
_I'm reserved with these words_

* * *

_**Richard**_

"That is it! The next time I see Two-Face I don't care what you say, I'm shooting him!"

"Calm down, _Robin_," instructs Bruce, "So he damaged your bike…for the second time."

I run my hands through my hair in pure frustration, "I don't have another liable excuse as to why I need my bike needs to be fixed…again!" Bruce rolls his eyes, "I told you to fix the other bike so you have separate bikes for separate situations."

I grit my teeth, "Excuse me if I can't afford multiple vehicles." Bruce said, "I told you that you're allowed to use money as long as it's for a good reason." I tilt my head, "You're not _always_ going to have money. I don't want to get used to the riches." Looking at Bruce, I can see him doing his best to hide his smile.

I rip my mask from my face, "Are we done for the night?" Bruce puts his hand on my shoulder, "What's the rush, Dick?" I bite my lower lip, "It's just…I…I promised Raven I'd call her."

Now Bruce's smile is completely present, "Aww, you two are finally together." It's kinda creepy hearing him say 'Aww'.

I shrug trying to be casual, "It's…it's not a big deal." "I disagree," states Bruce, "You've spent…a large percent of your life…mooning after your best friend. I'm entitled to be happy for you."

I start walking towards the exit of the BatCave, "All good things come to those who wait."

"Wait, Dick!"

I turn around to face my guardian. He crosses his arms over his uniform, "I hope you come up with a good excuse as to why your eye and neck is bruised."

* * *

_**Raven**_

"Raven, what are you doing?" _Dammit_.

I didn't have enough time to close my Internet tab. I turn around on my swivel chair, "Nothing wrong, Tracie."

Tracie raises her blonde eyebrow, "Is it something your dad should be concerned about? Why are you on Google Earth?"

I bite my lower lip, "Fine. I'm going to be honest. I'm looking at the area where my cocaine is being deployed." Tracie's not amused.

"Look Raven, I'm trying, okay? I want us to be a family…you're dad would want us to act like a family. I know I'm not your mother…"

"You're damn right you're not," I growl, standing up. She steps back slightly. I grit my teeth, "You're only ten years older then me, believe me, I don't consider you to be a mom. Especially not _my_ mom."

"I did not abandon my family," she argues, her nostrils flaring, but I don't care. She doesn't intimidate me (we're the same height and I was much stronger than she was). I cross my arms over my chest, "You just _wrecked_ one."

Tracie glares, "You're mother is the one who wrecked your family. It wouldn't kill you to be a little nicer to me." I click my tongue against the top of my jaw, "I keep to myself and don't cause trouble. I couldn't _be_ any nicer."

Tracie sighs, frustrated, "You little-"

"Hey!"

Tracie and I turn to see Trigon enter my room. Trigon sends me a small glare before throwing me the landline, "Dick wants to talk to you."

Tracie's eyes move back to me, "Don't be too long. It's a school night." I sit back down on my chair, "Yeah…bite me, Trace."

Trigon quickly pushes Tracie out the door before turning to me, "She has been in your life for 7 years, Raven. I thought you would at least expect you to have some respect for her. She's practically your mother."

"Respect is earned, not bought Trigon. And she will _never_ be my mother," I argue. Trigon shakes his head, "Raven you don't know the _whole_ truth. Your mom-"

I hold up the phone, "I have a phone call." Trigon bites his lip and sighs in frustration, "We _will_ talk later."

Trigon closes the door and I jump onto my Nightmare Before Christmas blanket. "Sorry you had to hear that," I greet my…_boyfriend_.

"You and your parents are always fighting," comments Richard. I rub my hand against my neck, "Tracie is not a parent. Not _my_ parent."

"I know, Rae. I hate to say it but…I kinda agree with Trigon. You…you should cut her some slack."

"Please, Dick," I beg, "I know…I know you're usually the one I talk to about this…but I just…I just can't talk about it."

"Just tell me what started the fight and I'll shut up." I roll my eyes: typical Dick trying to analyze every detail before letting go, even with the smallest things.

I explain, "She just was in my business looking over my shoulder at my computer." I can hear the wheels turning in Dick's head, "Were you looking at the villages in Europe again?"

I don't even respond, "I'm getting closer, Richard."

"Raven," Richard said in a scolding voice, "Don't waste your time trying to find Arella." I shake my head, "I don't want to talk about this, Dick. Please just…tell me something…take my mind off it."

Richard pauses before saying, "I…I've been planning our first date." I feel my whole family drama aftertaste disappear, "I didn't think you would be."

"And why not?" asks Richard. I chuckle into the phone, "Well considering we've known each other…forever…I would classify those as… I don't know…three or four dates."

Richard chuckles, "No, I want to take you out on a really nice date, Raven. Something you deserve. But because you're you, I have to think of something that's unique and creative…you have no idea how hard this is."

I shake my head, "Don't stay up for _that_ much effort, Dick. I like the simple things." Richard sighs, "You sure? I…I do really want to do something special for you, Rae." I smile at his sweetness, "How about a picnic in our tree house?"

"And how is that special?" I couldn't help but blush at Richard's need to make _everything_ special.

I trace small circles over my feet, "We could make PB and J, just like when we first met." I hear Richard laugh, "God Raven, you're creativity is astonishing." I twirl a strand of my hair, but immediately stop when I realize I look like a cheerleader gossiping to her friends (or something to that sense…I don't know).

"See, I can't tell if your being sarcastic or not," I comment. Richard chuckles on the other end, "I'm not being sarcastic, Rae."

Richard takes a moment before saying, "Fine. Just this once will I let you plan the date." I'm tempted to tease him about _letting_ me plan this, but decide to let it go, "Thank you, Richard, for that honor. What time should we meet tomorrow?"

"I'll see you at 3, Rae."

* * *

_**Richard**_

Seeing Raven in a black corset, a black skirt (that touched the ground from the back), fishnet stockings, and black combat boots, took my breath away. I considered that funny because Toni Monetti, one of Raven's best friends, basically wore the same clothes but never looked nearly as hot.

Maybe I'm biased…aw who cares? Everyone knows Raven's beautiful.

"I didn't think you would get so dressed up, Rae." Raven tilts her head, cutely. But her smile disappears as she puts her hand on my face.

"What the hell happened, Dick?" Raven asks as she traces the bruise on my eye. I take Raven's hand in mine, "I…uh…I ran into a wall."

Raven bites her lip and I lean into her hand. She looks me in the eye and says, "I'm not going to ask again…just don't lie to me when I ask later."

I nod in understanding and kiss her inside palm, "I know." I move our hands from my face, but don't let go, "Shall we?"

* * *

"Really, I'll make up for this when I've had a full seven hours of sleep."

Raven smiles and bites into her PB and J sandwich, "It's fine, Dick." I wipe crumbs off my lap and take a sip of my Sprite, "That's what I love about you. You're simple and you're not expensive."

Raven runs a hand through her hair, "Well unlike the other girls I know that 'to-impress-a-girl' is not a valid reason for Bruce as to why his savings might drop."

I lie down on my back to stare at the ceiling of our very…odd…tree house. Just looking at all our old drawings.

* * *

"_Raven, why are you hiding up here?" I ask a fourteen-year-old Raven. She's lying down on the floor of the tree house, staring at the ceiling. She turns to me, "Hey Dick."_

_Being her best friend and hoping to comfort her, I lie down right next to her. I can't help but stare at her beautiful, pale face. She looks over at me so I'm gazing into those dazzling, amethyst eyes._

"_What's wrong, Grumpy Gills?" I ask her, puckering my lips. She raises an eyebrow, "Were you watching Finding Nemo again?" I smirk and push her shoulder, "Okay, what's wrong, Raven?"_

_She bites her lower lip, "Mrs. Fowler gave me a C minus on my painting today." I look up at her, "That's why you're so upset." I realize it's more of a statement then a question._

_She doesn't respond, almost as if she completely disregarded my comment, "I was actually proud of this painting. I sketched it over and over and I thought-"_

"_Why don't you show it to me?" I interrupt her. She runs a hand through her short hair, "I…I don't want to." I smile, "I never thought you would've been self-conscious about your work."_

"_I'm not self-conscious, Dick. I'm just…if it's not good…I…"_

_I give her a small kiss on the top of her head, "It's just one person's opinion. And she's at least 80 with terrible eyesight. C'mon, show it to me."_

_Raven sits up and uses her cardigan to cover her t-shirt, "Fine, if it gets you off my back."_

_Crawling over to her backpack, she takes a small canvas out of the duffle bag next to her backpack. I place the canvas in my hand and stare at the painting._

"_Raven this is beautiful."_

_She grits her teeth, "You're biased." I put an arm around her shoulder, "That sure as hell isn't the case. It's impressive. Mrs. Fowler didn't know what she was talking about."_

_She runs a hand through her hair, "Again…you're bias." I shrug, "Maybe she didn't like how dark it was, Raven. Showing your family like this…it's passionate and not traditional. I think…I think it's amazing."_

_Her smile begins to reappear, "Really? You're…you're not just saying that, right?" I nod, taking her hand in mine and giving it a squeeze. She smiles, "Thanks." I nudge her, "I think you should show your dad."_

"_Tracie has him whipped so he doesn't have time to see my art." I raise an eyebrow, "I thought the honeymoon phase passed." She runs a hand through her hair, "Well considering that I met her when I was eight and they got married two years ago…I think the phase won't end till I'm 17."_

_I smirk, "Fine. If he won't see it, I want to see it. That's proof I know you when you become a famous artist." I take a nail and a hammer from the small table we have (covered in art and work supplies). Using one of the chairs, I step on and nail the painting to the roof._

"_Why don't we put all the stuff we made when we were younger up here?"_

_I smile at Raven, "Really? You want all my out-of-the-line coloring books up here?"_

* * *

"How did that painting still manage to stay pretty?" I ask her.

She smirks, "We just never took it down, Dick." I take her hand and pull her closer to me.

Raven buries her head into my chest, putting her hand on my chest as well. I smile at her, "I can't wait for my girlfriend to become a big, famous artist."

She places a soft kiss on my neck, "You know I have to get into art school first. Besides, I might not get to go if I'm too busy nursing my football-playing _boyfriend_ back to health. God Dick, you need to be more careful with these injuries."

I bury my nose into her hair, trying to ignore the pang of guilt causing my stomach to churn. "Rae," I start, but I don't really know what to say.

"It's going to make it hard to kiss you," she adds.

I bring her face so her eyes meet mine, "Now you've motivated me. I wouldn't want it to be hard for us to kiss…or do _other_ things."

She lightly pushes me, "You are so full of it." I smile, "Yeah well…you can handle it."

* * *

**I'm just going to stop it there. It's short because I'm blocked…apparently that happens a lot…and I didn't really want to write a mushy love scene because I need to work on my action scenes.**

**I hope you enjoyed it.**

**Please Read and Review**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Here's the next chapter that I hope you enjoy, and I hope you won't mind the very many errors you might see. There's a big note about some aspects of the story at the bottom of the page (this is the longest chapter I've written here).**

**Song: Lost it All by Black Veil Brides**

* * *

_I believe that we all fall down sometimes (Oh)__  
__Can't you see (can't you see) that we all fall down sometimes? (Oh, yeah, oh, yeah)_

_I believe that we all fall down sometimes (Oh)__  
__(Can't you see) Can't you see that we all fall down sometimes? (Yeah, we all, yeah, we all fall down)__  
__Yeah_

* * *

_**Raven**_

"_Dad swam after Mom, and right there in the water, he told her he was going to marry her. Twenty-three men had already proposed to her, Mom told Dad, and she had turned them all down._

'_What makes you think I'd accept your proposal?' she asked. _

'_I didn't propose to you,' Dad said. 'I told you I was going to marry you.'_

_Six months later, they got married."_

"Awww!" cooed all the cheerleaders in my class. I would normally start throwing things at them to get them to shut up, but Jeannette Walls's writing captivated me as well. (And not because of that 'cheesy' romantic passage.)

I am broken from my thoughts when Toni throws a paper airplane at my arm. I break away from the teacher's continuous reading of _The Glass Castle_.

**How was the date?**

I roll my eyes at Toni. Not wanting to get caught for a note, I sign to her (yes, we took a summer course on ASL- American Sign Language), _It was great._

_What did you do?_ Toni asked.

* * *

"_C'mon, Richard, don't be a baby!"_

_Richard grimaces at me, "How is not wanting to vandalize my body me being a baby?"_

_We had left the tree house to explore the city. Richard was reluctant at first, until I convinced him I could take care of myself and made a joke about how Batman would save me if necessary. He didn't laugh at it and mentioned something about how I only need one "hero" in my life (and of course that was him)._

"_What is so scary about getting a tattoo?"_

_Richard glares, "I have multiple reasons as to why it is inappropriate." I poke at his stomach, "So you're scared?" Richard puffs out his chest, "I'm not scared of anything."_

"_Except bees, spiders-"_

"_That was when I was a kid!" Richard argues. I open my mouth to make a comment but Richard put's his hand up, "Don't."_

_I laugh, "C'mon, it'd be really cool if my boyfriend got a tattoo." Richard rolls his eyes, "What so I can match yours? Can't I just buy one of those tattoo sleeves and save myself the chance of getting Hepatitis?"_

_I smirk, "So the great Richard is afraid of needles?" He shakes his head, "That's not the reason." I stick my tongue out, childishly, "Then give me three."_

_Richard thinks for a second before answering, "One: I'm one of Bruce Wayne's sons, it would look wrong if someone saw a tattoo on my skin. Two: I don't want to take the chance of it turning out wrong. Three: I don't want to get diseases."_

_Luckily for me, I had an answer to all of his reasons, "One: If you hide it well enough and pick a good spot, no one will see your tat. Two: So what, I think you'll look badass! Three: Hike up your skirt and take some risks."_

_Richard pouts, "I don't look badass now?" I click my tongue against the top of my mouth, "Of course you do; you'll just look more_ _badass."_

_Richard's eyes narrow, "I still don't want to do it."_

"_All the cool kids are doing it, Dick."_

_Richard's eyes widen, "Okay, really?" I huff, "Fine. You don't have to get a tattoo." He kisses my ear, "Thank you, baby." My eyes widen at the marvelous idea that popped into my head. I turn to him, "How about matching piercings?"_

_I want to laugh at Richard's expression to that._

_But Richard sees my pleading expression and sighs (in defeat, I might add), "Fine."_

* * *

I see Toni trying not to laugh at my story. "Okay class!" We turn back to the teacher, who is announcing our homework. The bell rings and Toni and I begin to head out.

"So what did the big, bad Richard get pierced?"

I smile at her, "We got cartilage piercings. When the guy pinned him to the chair, I was able to get Henna ink, and write on his arm."

Toni laughs, "What'd you write?"

I shrug, "I 'heart' Batman."

* * *

_**Richard**_

"Did it hurt?" asked Wally.

I bite my lower lip, "Not as much as a tattoo would've." Wally snickers, "You gonna let me see?"

My eyes widen, "Hell no."

"And why not, Dick? Is it in an intimate place? I thought we were- Whoa what is that on your arm?"

I look down and roll my eyes, "When the guy was piercing my ear, Raven went to the tattoo parlor and got Henna ink." Wally stares at it, "I didn't know you love Batman."

I glare, "This won't come off for at least a week! What if someone sees it?"

Wally raised an eyebrow, "So what? Who could possibly make you feel all embarrassed about having a tattoo that says 'I heart Batman'?"

_The Penguin, The Joker, Poison Ivy, Catwoman, Killer Croc', Two-Face, The Riddler, Scarecrow, Mr. Freeze, etc._

"I don't know." Wally nudges me, "Hey, you shouldn't be complaining. You finally got the girl you've been swooning over forever. And your first date was 'creative' and 'unique' like you wanted to be."

I nod at the redhead, "You're right."

"Hey Dick!"

Donna and Raven come this way. I smile at Raven and pull her on my lap, "How was your class?" Raven shrugs, "Nothing special."

"Where's Toni?" asked Wally. Donna held her books closer to her chest and answered, "She and Roy had to talk to the counselor about pranking Kitten last week."

Raven and Wally snickered at that. I had apparently missed a big prank pulled on Kitten leaving her standing in the hallways covered in whipped cream and pie crusts or something.

"So, Dick, heard you got a piercing."

Raven blushes when Donna puts me on the spot. I roll my eyes, "Yeah, so?" Donna's trying to hide laughter, "Nothing, just didn't think of you as the 'rebel' type."

Wally crossed his arms over his chest and huffed, "He won't tell me where!" Donna sits near Raven and says, "It shouldn't be a big deal if you didn't get it anywhere private. It's not like it's on you're tongue or on your…never mind."

I see her eyeing Raven. My eyes go wide at my girlfriend, "Did you-"

"No!" Raven protests, "Just my nose." She points to a small diamond stud on the side of her nose (I always thought it was a well-working everlasting sticker).

"Yeah but she has a tattoo on her back."

I smirk at Raven, "And how does Donna know?" She pushes my shoulder, "She took me swimsuit shopping, you pervert."

I kiss Raven's cheek and whisper in her pierced ear, "You do plan on showing me later, right?"

She hit me again.

* * *

"How was school, Tim?" Tim was one of the youngest and was silently waiting to take on the _Robin_ gig.

Tim shrugged, "Nothing new, you?" I mimic his actions, "Same old, same old."

I head towards my room, but his voice stops me, "Are you guys going out again?"

I look at him, "Maybe."

"Are you going to go look for Jason?"

Jason, the one that was younger then me but still older then Tim, had been missing for at least two years. Tim's relationship with Jason was a complicated one. Sometimes they were mortal enemies while other times they were best friends.

I tilt my head, "I don't know, you know it's not up to me."

"Huh."

"What's wrong?" He puts his comic book down, "I just figured you'd be calling some of the shots now."

Crossing my arms over my chest, I stare at him, "Why would you think that?" Tim rubs his chin in thought, "Well, you're older now. Shouldn't you be his equal?"

"I've always been…" I start to argue but my voice trails off. Tim shrugs nonchalantly, "But if you're happy, it shouldn't make a difference, right?"

* * *

"I didn't mean to screw up!" I exclaim, fighting for the umpteenth time…this week.

Batman- now Bruce- stares hard at me, "Nobody _means_ to screw up, Dick."

I grimace, "Look, it was a freaking mistake, nobody got hurt."

"_You_ almost got hurt," Bruce contradicts, "And if you had _listened_ to me-"

"I didn't think it was a good idea, _Batman_. If you had listened to _me_-"

"You're tactic was not any better, Dick. It would've gotten those citizens killed," Bruce grimaces, "I am leading these missions and if I tell you to follow my plans, I expect you to do so."

I roll my eyes, "Well I'm old enough to have some say in your plans, right?" Bruce growls, "When have you come so…assertive?" I raise an eyebrow, "Please tell me you're not going to make another 'It's all Raven's fault' speech."

Bruce always had issues with the Roths. I don't know if it was because he disrespected Arella for leaving her child, or if it was because of Trigon's old past in prison/gangs, or something else entirely. He was completely fine with Raven herself, just not her family.

"I told you a girlfriend would make you distracted."

"No," I debate, "If I remember specifically, you told me that dating would make her more vulnerable to our enemies."

Bruce hates being corrected, "Dick you are in no place to be-"

"Because what? Because I didn't follow your _plan_? It's occurred to you that your plan was not foolproof right?"

"Watch your tone."

I scoff, "Don't worry, I was leaving anyways." Hopping on my bike, I begin heading out.

"Dick, where are you going?!"

* * *

Where was I going? What was I doing?

I knew I was overreacting towards Bruce but I couldn't help it. Tim's comment about me being old enough and an equal irked me.

Shouldn't I be an equal?

Don't I deserve-

"_Look, bitch, you're going to tell me what I want before my guy shoots this bullet in your head, you got it?"_ says a gruff voice in the abandoned alleyway.

"_I'm not afraid of you. I don't know what you want with my dad, considering he's retired."_

Raven.

I quickly hide my bike and head towards the alleyway. In my vision, I see Raven with her arms crossed (leaning against a brick wall) and five guys…one with a gun pointed at her.

And Raven isn't even scared.

The man taunts, "You think ol' Trigon can give up that easy. You can't quit that easy, no matter how old you are. He owes me money!"

Raven glares, "Then take it up with him." The man chuckles and one of his guys turns the gun sideways, "How about shooting the one thing he cares about?" Raven shakes her head, "Then why haven't you gone after his wife?" The man contemplates before answering, "Because of course his daughter means more. That's just father logic."

"Hey!" I interrupt, "Back off her." I hope Raven doesn't recognize me.

All there heads turn. One guy laughs, "Look, it's the Boy Wonder. Where's Batman, Boy?"

I clench my jaw, "He's taking care of more _important_ things."

"Well tell him we'll fight him, not his little bitch, okay? And that we'll- OOF!"

He's cut off…by Raven punching his gut. The man falls to the ground and Raven uses her combat boot to push his shoulder (forcing him on the ground).

"You little-" starts the guy with the gun, but he's cut off by Raven's backflip, forcing the gun out of his hand.

The others ignore me and begin heading towards Raven, which she doesn't see. I run close enough that I can easily grab both their heads together like coconuts.

I watch Raven fight the man in a series of karate kicks. It's almost as if it's a graceful dance, Raven leading the man and easily overpowering him.

"Ugh!" I groan when I feel someone move their foot into my stomach. Being distracted: rookie mistake!

The guy towering over me aims a gun, "Let's see you fly now, Boy Wonder."

He's about to shoot…when a black ball hits him in the face and he falls on his ass.

I turn my head to see Raven's hands covered in black and her eyes glowing white. Now I'm contemplating whether or not this really is Raven.

A black bubble effulges me, and causes me to stand on my feet again. The bubble disappears and Raven's eyes/hands are back to normal.

"That was…" I'm lost for words. Raven sighs, "Yeah. It's a gift and a curse."

_Why haven't you told me about it? We tell each other everything!_

_Well…not everything._

"How is it possible?" Raven shrugs, "Genetic…I think. I've been practicing it for as long as I can remember."

I tilt my head to her, "Does anyone else know about it?" She shakes her head, "Not even my best friend, the only real person I trust."

"Well if you trust him, why haven't you told him?"

Her eyebrow raises, "What's with all the questions, Boy Wonder?"

I bite my lower lip, "I'm the protégé of the greatest detective, what do you think?"

She nods, "Thank you…for helping me." I smirk, "No problem. I hope your father knows what trouble he's putting you in."

She shakes her head and scoffs, "Nope. But I can handle myself." I nod, "You actually…impressed me." I don't think I'm being as mysterious as I'm hoping to be.

She smirks, "So why are you all alone tonight?"

I purse my lips, "Just for tonight, if you're keeping secrets, so am I."

"Does that mean you're going to be telling people about my powers?" I shake my head, "It's not my secret to tell. If Martians- yes I've met the Martian Manhunter, if you're asking- can walk freely, I think…"

"_Empaths_ can too?"

I raise my eyebrow again, "You're an _empath_?" She nods, "Yes. You're feeling…betrayed and relieved. I'm nice so I won't ask why."

_Because my best friend has kept a big secret from me and I don't know why._

_I guess that makes Raven perfect for me, and I for her. Wow talk about coincidences._

* * *

_**Raven**_

"I can't believe you met the Boy Wonder!" exclaimed Jinx- aka my cousin Jennifer- as I was driving the next day.

I roll my eyes, "It was no big deal. He was really…aloof." "Of course he was," Jinx reasoned, "He works for the Caped Crusader. The Bat-Bastard never smiles."

"Have you met him personally?" I ask her, sarcastically. She smirks, "You were close to."

I bite my lower lip and exit my car, helping Jinx out. "Thank you for dropping me off at the clinic, Rae."

Curious, I ask, "Have you told your dad yet?" She shakes her head.

"What about Baran?" She mockingly scoffs, "_Mammoth_ doesn't need to know that his coworker is pregnant with his kid." I'm distracted from asking why they call him 'Mammoth'.

"Jinx, I kinda think he does. You're getting an abortion, doesn't he deserve a say?"

Jinx frowns at me, "I asked you to come to be discrete. Don't you understand why I'm doing this? I could get a really good promotion and I'm not ready to have a kid yet."

"What about adoption? Jinx, you're taking away a chance to have a kid," I reason.

Jinx smiles at me softly, "Thanks for the concern, Rae. But…it's my body and I get to decide what to do with it. Sure he might get mad…but it's my sacrifice. Please just be here for my support."

I sigh and hold her hand, "Fine." She smiles, "Thanks, cousin."

We walk into the clinic together. "How can I help you?" asks the lady at the counter.

I stare as Jinx says, "I have an appointment with Dr. Light." The lady nods, "And your…goth friend?"

I shake my head, "No ma'am." The lady stares at me, "You look familiar? What's your name?"

"Uh…Raven Roth."

The lady's eyes go wide, "Oh. She decided to keep you. That's good."

I raise an eyebrow, "I'm sorry?"

She bites her lip, "You're mom's Arella Roth, right?" I nod and she continues, "When she was in high school, she had an appointment here, but she walked out and didn't come back. I'll go tell Dr. Light that you're here."

Jinx puts a hand on my shoulder, "Rae?"

I stare at her, "Please tell me she didn't just say what I thought she said."

Before Jinx can stop me, I hurried to get out of the clinic lobby, but because I was so distracted I didn't notice the person I ran into.

"I'm so so- Raven?"

My head is brought up to look at Barbara Gordon, Richard's first girlfriend.

Out of all the bimbos Richard dated, she was not on my list of bitches. In fact she was one- probably the only one- that I didn't hate or strongly dislike. She wasn't my BFF but if she asked for help, I wouldn't shrug her off.

"Hey, Barbara," I say politely. She looks at me, questioningly, "I heard you and Dick were dating…is that why you're at this…"

"No. No no no," I protest, "I was dropping off someone." She said, "Oh…I have a relative that works here and I'm helping out a little. It's kinda sad but…" I nod in understanding.

"Do you like private school?" I ask curiously. She smiles, "Yeah. Sure I have to wear a uniform, but it's not that bad."

We stand silently facing each other. Until Barbara says, "I'm glad you and Dick are _finally_ together."

"Finally?" I ask. She giggles, "Yeah. When I was with Dick…I was kinda intimidated by you."

"Why?"

"Because you were his best friend," Barbara answered, "Because you were _all_ he talks about. And because it was obvious how in love with you he was to everyone _but_ you."

I chuckle lightly, "I had feelings for him earlier, I just assumed he wasn't interested."

"Well it was one reason we broke up. I knew he would never feel the way about me the way he does about you."

I look at her apologetically, "I'm sorry." She shrugs it off, "If it wasn't meant to be, it wasn't meant to be. He wasn't my first boyfriend."

Again there is silence, and of course, Barbara's the one to break it. "Are you sure you're okay Raven? You look like you saw a ghost."

"I…" I start to respond, but I don't really know the answer to her question. She notices this and nods again, "I get it. I'm sorry to pry, but-"

"It's fine," I said, wanting to leave and go home as quick as possible. I had questions of my own, but I wouldn't get the answers from Barbara.

* * *

I opened the front door to Tracie's screech, "Raven, what the hell is this?"

Turning around, I see Tracie holding…my spell book. I glare, "What were you doing in _my_ room? That was an invasion of privacy!"

"I was collecting your laundry," she says.

"Still an invasion!"

She puts her hands fiercely on her hips, "That doesn't matter. Why are you studying…witchcraft?" I roll my eyes at her, "I'm interested. You don't need to make a big deal out of it, Trace, we're not in Salem."

Tracie scoffs, "You don't need to-"

"What are you two arguing about now?"

We both turn our heads to face Trigon entering the house.

Tracie throws my book at him, "Look what _your_ daughter is reading."

His eyes widen, but not in anger. He stares at me before turning to Tracie, "Trace, I need you to leave so I can talk to Raven."

"Wait," Tracie disputes, "No, I want to be here to-"

"Tracie. Leave. Now," commands Trigon. I've never seen him demand something from her like that. Of course, Tracie obliges and leaves the living room.

"Where did you find this?" I bite my lower lip, "It doesn't matter."

Trigon shakes his head, "I'm guessing…you know about your powers."

I'm tempted to yell about how he didn't tell me about them, but I realize that's not what's bothering me. I use my powers and levitate the book in front of him. He reciprocates with his own and puts the book down. I sigh, "Yeah I know. But I didn't know where they came from…not until now."

He nods, "It's genetic. I'm not…I'm not human. I'm a demon. And so are you…at least not fully."

I close my eyes, attempting to process it all. Calmly, I say, "Clearly you have questions for me and I have questions for you."

He chuckles and I open my eyes. "Then you go first, you deserve it," he said.

"Is that why mom didn't want me?"

Trigon looks at me confused, "What do you mean?" I sigh, "I know about the almost abortion." His eyes go wide, "How did you know? Only the clinic…Oh dear lord are you-?"

"No!" I defend, "I'm not pregnant. I was dropping off someone. But that's not the point. Was that why mom…?"

He sighs, "I don't know."

"But you do know something. I can feel your guilt." Trigon smiles slightly, almost in…pride.

But the smile disappears. "Yes I do know things about your mom, things I thought you forgot."

"Stop it," I demand, "Obviously I don't remember what you keep hinting at- something you've been hinting at since mom left. So please just tell me."

Trigon bites his lower lip, "Okay. Come here and sit."

I do as I'm told and sit in a Lotus position in front of him. He sighs, "Take my hands. I want to show you something."

Again…I do as I'm told.

"_How could you get me pregnant?" asked Arella. Trigon ran his hands through his hair, "Well after our fifth date you and I-"_

"_I don't need your smartass comments, Trigon! What do I do?"_

"_What do you mean, Ella?"_

_She grimaces, "I can't have a kid. I have- had- a future! We…we can't have a kid."_

"_You can still have your future!"_

"_Says the demon who can't die! I…I have to get rid of it."_

"_No, Ella!" Trigon pleads, "It's our child. We can't-"_

"_This isn't your decision!" Trigon growled angrily, "It should be our decision."_

I pull my hands away. Trigon looks at me concerned, "I know. I know it's…overwhelming. But…you need to see this."

I bite my lower lip, "I…I don't know." Trigon nods, "Raven, you need to know." I'm just as curious as I am afraid. I sigh, "Fine."

He takes my hands once again.

"_Ugh, why were you running in the dirt again?! You're getting it all over the house!" Arella says. _

_A toddler is staring at her, a toddler with a small patch of hair, and large amethyst eyes. __Me._

"_She's a kid, Ella," Trigon defends, "and we were playing soccer-"_

"_That is no fucking reason-"_

"_Mommy!" I protested, "Don't used that word."_

_Arella grabbed the younger me by my shirt, "You little runt need to shut up and-"_

_My dad pulls me away from my mom. I stuff my face into Trigon's neck as he says, "I'm going to take our daughter to her room, and then we can talk."_

_Trigon walks up the stairs and places me on my bed. I look up at him, "I didn't mean to make mom angry." Trigon runs his hands through my hair, "It's not your fault, Raven."_

"_But mommy's sad. I can feel sadness and anger from Mommy. It hurts. Why Daddy?"_

_Trigon just stares at me, not answering my questions at all._

Then the memory transitions.

"_Mommy I'm sorry! I thought-I thought you would like it! I-It was us, the f-family." I say in between tears._

_Arella growls, and hits me with her belt, "You drew on the walls, you stupid little-"_

"_Arella, get away from her!"_

_Arella chuckles darkly, "Or what you'll suck my soul out? She's your spawn, she should know some pain! I thought demons thrived on pain."_

_"Mommy, stop, please!"_

_"Stop calling me that! I shouldn't be your mother!"_

Again, the memory transitions.

_"Mommy why are you leaving?"_

_Arella glares at me, "I can't stay here. Your father… hurt me."_

_"Arella!" Trigon shouts, "You do not tell our daughter about-"_

_"She deserves to know the truth! She needs to know why you have driven out and broke our entire family!"_

_"Mommy, Daddy, please stop fighting!" I yell in attempt to distract them._

_Arella roughly grabs my wrist, "Your father is a cheating bastard that should be living in hell." I wipe at my eyes, "Let go, Mommy. You're hurting me!"_

_"Raven, listen to me-"_

_"Let our daughter go, Arella!" _

_Arella tightens her grip on me and snarls at me, "You are the reason we were together. You are the reason I'm suffering this pain. I should've left some years ago, but I couldn't. Because the demon made me you."_

_My lips tighten together. In a sudden flash, Arella's flying off of me and I am flying backwards into the sofa (how lucky)._

"_Raven!" Trigon runs to me. He looks at me then turns to Arella, "Leave. Don't come back! Raven doesn't need a mother like you."_

_The door slams. I look up at Trigon, "Daddy…daddy what just happened?"_

_Trigon bites his lip, "It's too soon. You're not ready."_

"_Not ready for what?" I ask as I wipe at my tears._

_Trigon puts a glowing hand on my head, "You will only remember this: your mother left because I didn't love her. I drove her away by my affair. I hurt you, and she left. She never touched you or harmed you."_

I gasped and pulled away, moving away from Trigon. I put my face in my hands and sob silently. Trigon doesn't move, standing still in his seat.

I look up and wipe some tears at my eyes, "It was never you. Arella was the one who…" Trigon sighs, "Yes. And I'm sorry, Raven."

"But you're a _demon_. You're not…how are you so caring to me?" Trigon looks at me blankly, "You're my daughter. I admit, I wasn't as kind towards earthlings in the past…but I wanted you to have the father you deserved."

"You're the reason…the reason I can detect emotions. The reason why…when i'm angry, stuff blow up. I can levitate. I can…"

"Yes, Raven," Trigon admits, "Arella…was not the mother you deserved, but you are not the daughter that _I_ deserve. The demon part of me is angry because of the path you choose. Because even though you don't come from good…you still are. The human part- the part that has learned compassion- is overwhelmingly proud of you."

After that confession, I do the one thing I haven't done in at least ten years. I hug my dad.

* * *

**I know I don't write the action scenes for Batman and Robin but I don't really want the story to focus on that considering it's a RobRae story. I'll only write it if I think it might be necessary.**

**I know Jinx/Jennifer isn't Raven's family but … it's fanfiction.**

**I'm also sorry that in my recent fics had made Batman sound like some douche, but he's overprotective of his birdies so I think it's understandable.**

**And I know I brought Raven's powers in again, but I'm not planning to use the 'take over the world' plot again. I was told in a one-shot I wrote that making Trigon the bad guy was a little overused, so I decided to make it more original. In a way, Arella did leave her behind and leaving your child is cruel enough. It's a little clouded as to why Trigon is so nice, but I plan on further explaining and experimenting with it.**

**As towards my feelings for Barbara Gordon, she's one of those characters that I would really like had she not been with Nightwing (personal opinions, all fans are entitled to them)…while Nightwing is one of those characters that I love so much that I hate him (and I know that doesn't make sense, I tried explaining it to my sister)**

**Please Read and Review.**


	6. Chapter 6

**AN: Here's the next chapter, and I hope you enjoy it. Sorry for any errors, but I'm human.**

**Song: This Song Saved My Life by Simple Plan**

* * *

_I turn you up whenever I feel down __  
__you let me know like no one else_ _  
__That it's ok to be myself_

* * *

_**Richard**_

After a heated _lecture_- more like verbal battle- from Bruce, I was finally able to finish my math homework and go to bed. All through the night, I couldn't help but toss and turn knowing Raven's secret…and she hasn't even told me directly.

We were best friends. I told her everything- everything important.

Yeah I left out this secret, but it's not as big as "I might have powers".

I have to confront Raven, tomorrow, otherwise it'll be another restless night without sleep.

* * *

"Hey Raven…and Roy," I greet when I get to school.

Raven and Roy shared a look before looking at me. Roy crosses his arms over his chest, "Did Raven tell you?"

"Did Raven tell me what?" I ask, slightly panicking.

Roy smirks at Raven, "She met the Boy Wonder when a gang tried to jump her."

Raven doesn't even blush, "It's no big deal. I meet guys in tights every time I go to ComicCon."

Roy chuckles, "Whatever you say, princess. I gotta go meet up with Jade." Raven stuck her tongue out at him, "Bye, doofus."

I take Roy's spot in front of Raven, "So…you met the Boy Wonder?" That was kinda weird to say.

She tilts her head, "Jealous?" "No," I argue, "Where'd you meet him?"

Raven raises an eyebrow, "Well, Batman and Robin wanted to engage in a threesome with me and-"

"Okay okay, I get it!" I interrupt, trying to permanently erase that image. She laughs whole-heartily and lightly pushes my knee, "I just ran into him one night, no big deal." I realize I can't get upset because that technically was the truth.

"Don't you wonder who he is underneath the mask?" I don't know why I'm prying.

She pretends to stroke an imaginary beard and answers, "Not really. It's not my business." I notice that Raven would be the worst investigative journalist and it was a good thing she was interested in art.

I kiss her cheek, "What if it was me?"

She raises an eyebrow, "What makes you qualified?" I feign hurt, "You don't think I could be Robin?"

She opens her mouth but the bell rings, signaling first period to start soon. _Saved by the bell_.

* * *

_**Raven**_

I continue to tap my pen against the desk, not caring who I'm bothering. I haven't been in the best mood, but I put up a nice act for Roy and Richard because I didn't want them to worry about me.

Learning that my mom was truly abusive to _me_ and that I was the spawn of a too-nice-for-his-own-good demon can overwhelm me like that.

The gossiping teenagers that kept coming up to me weren't helping either. All they wanted to know was how I felt about meeting Robin, the Boy Wonder. I didn't know him well enough to answer the questions they had. And I was so nice that I didn't tell them about how he fell on his ass when I encountered him.

"Raven!"

I turn my head up, "Yes?" The teacher sighs, "Can you simplify 9x-7i 3(3x - 7u)?"

Easy math. "It's simplified to i 3 u." The teacher looks at my empty notebook. He sighs, "Can you do it on the board?"

"Why would I do that when I did it in my head?" My classmates giggled and snorted. Ugh, they were a pain in my ass.

The teacher pushes his glasses up, "How did you simplify it?"

I pretend to think about it, and answer, "Sir, math is about learning to solve problems _on your own_. My fellow classmates won't learn anything if I just _tell_ them how I did it."

My teacher stares wide-eyed. I see his lips twitch, hinting he wasn't trying to smile. He sighs and walks back to the board, "Ms. Roth is correct. To simplify you first…" His voice trails off and I begin to doodle until the bell rings.

As I'm taking my stuff from my locker, I notice two bodies surrounding me: one is an unhealthy bronze color and the other is not as tan but not as pale as me.

I look up, "What do you _two_ want?"

Kori glares, "So you're dating Dick?" I raise an eyebrow, "Yes, I am dating a male who has a-"

"Shut up, Roth," demands Terra. I roll my eyes, "I never listened to you before, why the hell would I do that now?"

Kori slams my locker door, "How long have you two been dating?" I pretend to count my fingers, "Let's see, last Thursday was the 20th…the Manhattan Project was in 1942 and ended in 1946…so I'd say about two or three weeks." I see Kori and Terra looking confused at my mention of the project contributing to making the atomic bomb. I've taken notice that we live in a generation where sarcasm was not taken lightly.

Kori glares, "Do you think I'm stupid?" I can't help but smirk, "I don't think it."

Kori grabs my shirt, "Listen Roth, do not mess with me." I spit on her hand so she'll let go. I glare at the head cheerleader, "What is your problem?"

"You seriously think you're good enough to date Richard?"

I cross my arms over my chest, "Seriously. You couldn't have just asked that? The grabbing of my shirt was unnecessary, Kori." I grimace and pick up my backpack. As I'm heading towards the lunchroom, I hear Kori yelling, "He's too good for you, Roth. He needs a _real_ woman in his life!"

I yell back, "The only thing real about you is your _nose_!"

* * *

"Raven, I have to ask you something."

I look at my boyfriend sternly, "What's wrong?"

He exhales slowly, "What were you doing Friday night?"

* * *

"_Hey bitch!"_

_Oh great. Them. My dad's old 'friends'._

_I turn around, "What the hell do you want Carl?"_

_The corners of his mouth turn into an evil smile, "I want something your daddy owes me."_

"_Well tell Daddy yourself." I try to walk forward, until I run into a wall that felt like a man. It was just one of Carl's goons. I glare at him, "Will you please move, I have places to be." Not really, I was just going home to read a book and drink my herbal tea._

_The big guy growls. I stiffen when he puts his hands on my shoulder and pushes me against a wall causing me to drop my backpack._

_"Look, bitch, you're going to tell me what I want before my guy shoots this bullet in your head, you got it?"_

* * *

"I was out…and then I went home," I respond, semi-honestly. Richard rubs his chin, "So what happened when you met Robin?"

I raise my eyebrow, "Why are you so curious?" "Because," Richard reasons, "I feel like you're not telling me something."

"How can you feel-" Richard interrupts my question.

"You're my best friend right?"

I stare at him, "I thought I was your girlfriend." And honestly, I liked it better that way. He tries to hide his smile, "I mean…we've been best friends forever, right?"

"Whoa…'best friends forever' is too much to say. We should make an acronym for it," I say sarcastically.

"Raven I'm being serious. You wouldn't lie to me right? You tell _me_ everything right?"

I bite my lower lip, "I try to." I see a hint of anger in his blue eyes, "But you would tell _Roy._" I notice that's not a question.

"I trust you and Roy equally, Dick."

"But if you're not telling me-"

"Stop being a hypocrite!"

Richard stops his sentence and responds, "How am I a hypocrite?" I glare, "You're acting like you don't have secrets as well."

"I tell you-"

"You _used_ to tell me everything. Now…it's just whatever will get me off your back. Where were you on the day of our friendship anniversary? What was it that made you forget? And the night after, why didn't you call me till late?"

Richard pauses. He looks at his fingers, "I…I was…"

"That's what I thought."

* * *

_**Richard**_

Dammit. Dammit dammit dammit!

I had a terrible school day. After that terrible conversation with Raven, we didn't talk the rest of the day. I had no one to rant about when I found out I got a C- on my French quiz and I had no one to tell about how Wally beat the school's record in track and how I accidentally knocked Jason unconscious in the PE football game.

Getting home was not any calmer either. Tim and I kept arguing over who get's to watch what leading to me accidentally throwing the remote out the window. And I had Chemistry homework that wasn't going to get done by itself.

I tried calling Raven, but she was a stubborn mule that wouldn't answer unless I was dying…which I was…mentally.

* * *

_**Raven**_

"Raven, go out and get these groceries," demanded Tracie, handing me a list. I roll my eyes, "And you can't get it yourself because…"

She glares, "I got a pedicure and I don't want to mess it up." "God forbid that happen," I mutter under my breath.

Tracie smirks, "I didn't hear your dad yelling." I bite the inside of my cheek, "Yeah well, he's a rich guy…these soundproof walls are good for something." Especially when _those_ two were having a screaming match of their own.

She purses her lips, "Are you in trouble?" I raise an eyebrow, "For what, reading?"

Before she can lecture me about 'respecting' her, I slam the door and walk over to my car.

Sure she never hit me (despite how much I pushed her) but I still had more respect for Arella.

* * *

After paying for the groceries, I begin to drive down the forest route. It was longer then the highway, but it was faster because no one took it.

I'm about to turn the Simple Plan song louder when…

_CRACK!_

A bat-shaped boomerang cracks my car window, and I'm so shocked that I swivel the car. I'm glad I haven't lost my common sense and I'm able to stop the car.

I get out of the car, and reach over the hood, grabbing the boomerang.

"I'm sorry, miss, that's mine." I look over.

Robin, The Boy Wonder. Again.

I glare, "I thought Batman's sidekick had better aim." He lightly chuckles, "Well it's dark, so it's hard for me to see."

"Ah yes, it must be hard for the walking traffic light to see in the dark."

I hand Robin his boomerang. But when I grabbed his gloved hand, I notice a brown mark on his bare skin. It looks like…my handwriting.

"You gonna let go of my hand?"

I look up at him, "I…" He raises an eyebrow, "Is something wrong, miss?"

"I…" I begin to ask, thinking of an excuse, "…I think I'm feeling sick…will you check my forehead? It's the least you could do considering what you did to my car."

He nods. As he places his other gloved hand on my face, I quickly take my free hand and pull off his mask.

A pair of blue eyes that I've known my whole life stares back at me.

"_Dick!"_

* * *

_**Richard**_

I can't believe I was worried about some evil villain seeing the henna mark.

Quickly, I take Raven's hand- the one I'm holding- and twist it around her back while my other hand covers her mouth. I put my mask back on my face and whisper in her ear, "Get in your car and drive. Then we'll talk." Raven does as she's told once I let her go.

We stop at an isolated park parking lot. The silence from the ride takes over.

"I'm sorry about your car."

She glares, "Really? That's the _first_ thing you want to apologize for, _Robin_?"

I bite my lower lip, "You're right. I'm sorry about…not telling you I was- _am_- Robin."

She crosses her arms over her chest, "That's better. But you're still not out of the woods."

"What else is there?" That was a big mistake- asking that question.

"_Why_ didn't you tell me, Dick?"

I sigh, "Because I was worried that you…"

"That I would tell?" I see hurt in her eyes and immediately defend, "No. Definitely not that. I was afraid…I…our relationship…"

"Our relationship shouldn't be what you're worried about, Dick. What you should be worried about is your safety!"

"It wasn't _my_ safety I was worried about!"

Raven stops giving me the chance to explain, "Batman pointed out to me that if anyone found out my identity, they would go for the ones I love…I didn't want you to get hurt."

I take a deep breath, "I realize that…just being with you already made this _so_ dangerous. But…I've wanted to be with you for as long as I could remember and I finally got you. I wasn't going to let you leave so easily. If it meant I had to train harder to protect you then so be it."

Raven's eyes soften as she says, "Dick…I don't want you worrying about whether I'm going to break up with you over your safety." I nod, "I know that. I just…I couldn't let you get hurt."

"You hurt me with your lies."

"You wanna talk about hurting with lies?" I challenge, "What about you, _Bellatrix_?"

She grimaces, "I didn't know it was so important."

"Of course it's important, Rae!"

"No, Dick, I meant _I didn't know_ it was important! I didn't know about any of it until two years ago."

I raise my eyebrows and remain silence, giving Raven the chance to reason. She sighs, "I didn't know I…had these abilities until one night, I got angry with Tracie. I went into my room and…and I blew up a pillow. I put my hand out…to touch all the flowers, but I saw my hand glow as I created a small bubble around the feathers. I…I couldn't tell you because I didn't know the extent of it."

"Would you have told me if you did?"

She pauses, but isn't hesitant when she answers, "If I knew I was safe to be around, yes. Would you have told me about your identity if you hadn't broke my windshield?"

_Would I have told her?_

I look at Raven's face. She has always been there for me. She has been my rock and I need her. I trusted her more than anyone, hell (sometimes) more than Bruce.

"Yes. Once Gotham was…_safer_…I would've told you. I'm not lying just to make you stop being mad at me." She smirks slightly at me, "I know, I can tell."

We sit in silence. _Now_ I was really worried about _our_ relationship. Deciding to finally make a move, I take her hands in mine, "I know that we're broken now, but I want to work on this. We have something…we have something so damn good and I don't want to let it- or you- go. Raven…I love you."

She looks into my eyes, "I love you too, Richard." I'm about to lean in and kiss her when she puts her hand on my chest, "I still have to tell you something."

I back away, "Okay. Tell me."

She takes a deep breath, "You know that…that I'm an empath. I…I found out recently that…I'm not _completely_ human. I'm half-demon."

I try not to convey emotions. I notice her eyes water. Seeing my Raven about to cry is the only thing that appears _ugly_ to me.

"And my mom knew. I think…I think that's why she left."

I stare at her, confused, "I thought you said she left because Trigon cheated."

Raven nods, "It was only partly. Trigon was showing me…parts of my mind that _he_ had erased to make my life easier. He showed me how she used to…how she used to _hit_ me and yell at me. She kept saying things were _my_ fault and…I-I just…I…"

As Raven's tears begin to shed, I pull her into my arms. I feel her begin to soak my uniform, but I don't care. Raven is all that maters.

And she won't stop crying…that is until the windows of her car begin cracking. She abruptly leaves my arms.

Wiping her eyes with my gloved thumb, I tell her, "It doesn't matter if you're a half-demon to me."

"Richard it-"

"You're still Raven," I reason, not acknowledging her attempt to persuade me otherwise, "You're still the Raven who's been my best friend all these years. The Raven who gave me my first kiss. And the Raven who never left my side and always came to me whenever I needed you to. And that's all that matters, Rae. Not your heritage, just…just who you are now."

She sighs, "You are so good to me."

"What goes around comes around, Raven."

* * *

_**Raven**_

I approached Trigon while he was at home the next day. I called, "Trigon?"

Trigon puts his newspaper down and stares hard at me, "Yes Raven?"

Our relationship has only evolved by 50%. I don't argue with him as much as I used to, but I don't hug or kiss him whenever I see him. Our relationship now was more…balanced.

I let out a deep breath, "I want to ask you something…about my powers."

He nods, "Proceed."

"Whenever I feel…too much of one emotion, something happens. Like things…blow up."

"I know."

I raise my eyebrows in shock, "A heads up would've been nice!"

He stands before me, "I thought you needed to learn it on your own. Control."

"Well considering I just…found out about everything…how was I supposed to know?"

He nods, "It was more of a trial test. But now that everything is out in the open, I think it's time I help you. To control your emotions, you need to learn not to give in, or express, just _one_ emotion can manipulate your powers."

I nod, "So you're saying that I shouldn't show my emotions anymore?"

"Not exactly, Raven. I'm saying that you need to learn to balance it all out. You can't be too angry or you can't be too happy. Just…balance."

Well I know his favorite word.

"You can try…meditation."

I stare at him, silently asking him to continue, which he does, "Every day, you need to find time for yourself to meditate. A mantra to say might help you with your focus."

I nod, "I think I'll start now."

"Raven, wait."

I turn around to him. He hands me two big, brown books. As I try to _balance_ them in my hands, Trigon informs, "This a gift from the Azarathian temple."

"What?"

Trigon chuckles, "I skipped work and traveled to Azarath, an alternate dimension. The monks there are more…_tolerant_ towards us demons. There are many half-demons, like you, that don't like the circumstances of their heritage. They learned to find peace and do good, so I thought these books might help."

I look up at him, "Why are you giving it to me then?" He lets out a deep breath, "Because…I don't want you to be like me. I've done…things in the past that I'm most definitely not proud of. And had I not been on Earth for so long, I'd probably be teaching you how to do those things. I want you to make your own choices, not follow mine."

* * *

_**Richard**_

"_Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion Zinthos. Azarath Metrion-"_

"What are you doing?"

Raven opens her eyes, "I'm meditating. I'm trying to control my powers." I notice her voice is slightly less emotionless then before.

"Are you aware that you're floating a few inches off the ground?"

Raven looks down, "Oh shit!" Her focus is lost causing her to fall on the floor of our tree house.

I crawl over to her, "You okay, Rae?" She runs a hand through her hair, "I didn't hurt my head so yes."

"Why were you meditating?"

She sighs, "Trigon told me that if I needed to improve my control of my emotions. If I give into _one_ emotion, I might produce too much power."

"Since when did you listen to Trigon?" Raven smiles up at me, "Since we've been…better."

"That's good. So why were you…floating?"

"I wasn't aware that I was _levitating,_" she says honestly, "I wasn't really aware of anything. I felt…"

"At peace," I finish for her. She kisses my cheek, "If I control my emotions better, I don't have to worry about things blowing up."

"I like it when you blow things up! I'm a guy, explosions are cool," I joke.

She playfully pushes my chest, "Cute, _Robin_."

I finally do something I've been waiting (forever) to do: I kiss her right on her mouth.

I put my hands in Raven's beautiful, soft hair. She reciprocates by putting her hands on my hip. She pulls me down so I'm lying on top of her.

I gasp when she pulls away, "You haven't blown anything up." She nods, "I meditated."

I go in again, but instead, I kiss her neck. I suck on the sweet skin as she fumbles with the buttons of my shirt. After unfastening the last one, I quickly throw it off and throw it to the side.

Raven's leaning on her elbows as she sees me pulling off the white undershirt. She doesn't smile when she sees my skin, and I'm wondering if her past boyfriends had a more _impressive_ body.

I moan when she runs the pads of her fingers over the scars on my chest, just the feel of her hands on my skin was…overwhelming.

"Were all of these from your missions?"

I remove her hand from my skin and lean into her. I kiss her again and begin untie the corset that covers her tank top, "Don't think about that now."

Once I get that corset off, and her tank top, I begin softly caressing her stomach, "Think about us. It's just you and me."

She murmurs against my lips, "Have you done this before?" I nod, "Yes. You?" Playing with the button of my jeans, she says, "Yes."

That's the only disappointing part: I've always wanted Raven to be my first everything. She was my first love and my first kiss, but I wasn't first in her sheets. But I would be better then whoever replaced me.

"I love you, Raven Roth," I say against her ear as I pull on her skirt and her fishnet stockings. She finally unzips my pants, "I love you too. If I hurt you…I'm sorry."

I chuckle huskily against her skin, "Hey, I might like it."

"You sure you want to do it here, in the tree house?" I grunt against her collarbone, "All of our best memories are here."

* * *

"_What are you doing?" I ask Raven. She smiles up at me, "You like it?"_

_Raven shows me a beautifully drawn picture of a house on a tree._

_She explains, "Just a place for me, so I can hide away and escape to my own little world." I look at her eagerly, "Can I help?" She gives me a toothy grin, "Of course. It'll be our tree house! Our cardboard fort's getting too small anyways."_

_I look at this enthusiastic girl. She smiles at me, "You're my best friend, you know that, Richard?"_

_I can't help but light up at her words, "Really?" She nods, "Yeah, who else would be?"_

_I can't help but wrap my small hands around her waist, "You're my best friend too, Rae."_

* * *

**What did you think?**

…**I would write more but I was writing in a moving vehicle and got a headache.**

**Please Read and Review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So I just saw the Batman movie where the Joker turns Robin into Joker Jr. And I'm amazed by how…(for lack of a better word) disturbing that can turn out. And it's a cartoon.**

**Ignoring that side note (and my errors), here's the next chapter that I hope you enjoy.**

**Song: Teen Love by Peter Bjorn and John**

* * *

_Carry me home, the night is dark and long__  
__I think I'm done with all the people taking part__  
__So I move much closer, I don't mind__  
__And I leave a mark on your face, I don't mind, no_

* * *

_**Raven**_

"_Raven why are you crying?" asked Richard the next day at school. I looked up at my best friend and sniffled, "I'm fine."_

_He shakes his head, "What happened?"_

_I wiped at some fallen tears, "My mommy's gone."_

_He stared wide-eyed, "What do you mean?" I buried my face into my knees, "She left. She and daddy were fighting and she left."_

_An awkward Richard put his hand on my back, "It's going to be okay, Raven." I disagree, "No it isn't. It's all his fault! She left because of him. I hate him!"_

* * *

"You know what Arella did to you…why are you still trying to look for her?"

Roy and I were currently in the library using the computer database to look for my mom. I couldn't do this at home because Tracie was a snoop and dad thought I had let the matter go.

I glared at Roy, "I just…I still have questions for her." Roy's eyes were filled with sympathy.

Roy knew about me being an empath/half-demon. No I didn't tell him, he walked in on me meditating and practicing my powers. Which is ironic considering I walked in on him using heroin. That day, he told me about his addiction so it was only fair I tell him my secret (this time)

"You could levitate yourself to her," he suggested, putting down his cell phone. I shake my head, "I'm still learning. Besides, wouldn't it look weird if someone saw some girl floating around in a black bubble?"

Roy snickered, "Yeah because seeing a guy in a Bat-suit and his traffic-light sidekick isn't any weirder." I smirk at Roy, "Give them some credit. They're doing pretty well at cleaning up the streets. Guess you could call them superheroes."

"Well if I were a superhero, I think I'd take up archery. I like the idea of aiming for the target, no care if you miss."

I gently push Roy, "Yeah, I'm sure you'd look great in tights. Will you help me with this or not?"

He walked over and peered over my shoulder, "You got a location, Rae. What do you need help with?"

I take a number two pencil and point at the computer monitor, "I can't decide which village I need to visit first. There are three…in this area."

"Wait…_visit_?"

I look up at him, "Yeah." He stared wide-eyed, "Why do you need to _visit_?" I cross my arms over my chest, "What am I supposed to call her? Skype her?"

He pinches the bridge of his nose, "How do you expect to visit her?" I sigh, "I was going to see if I had any money. If not, I would try teleportation."

"When do you plan on doing this?" Roy was slightly surprised by the fact that I had answers to all his questions, "Spring Break is in two days."

Roy ran a hand thorough his orange hair, "You are persistent when you're motivated."

She nods, "Any other questions?" Roy stared at Raven seriously, "What happens if Trigon finds out?" I shrug, "I haven't figured out that part. But I will!"

With a sigh, Roy asked his last question, "You sure you can levitate? I could ask Ollie if you could borrow the private jet."

I shake my head, "I have to blend in." Roy tapped his fingers across the table, "You just don't want to ride our private jet. I mean he's no _Bruce Wayne_. Nudge nudge, wink wink."

Raven's eyes widened at Roy, "I'm not asking Richard if I can borrow Bruce's jet." Roy put his hands up in defeat, "Whatever, I just thought that was the reason you had a super rich boyfriend."

Childishly, I stuck my tongue out at him, "Yeah well I'm only dating him because he's good in bed."

Roy covered his eyes with his hands, "Ew Rae. Don't need the details!"

* * *

_**Richard**_

"So how was it?"

I smirk at Wally, "It was…it was more amazing then in my dreams."

Victor stuck his tongue out at me, "That is nasty. I don't need to hear about what you're doing to Rae." I put my hands behind my head and lie on the grass, "I can't believe we did it though."

"You made looove," replied Wally in a mocking tone. I glare at him and he laughs, "Excuse me if I'm a little happy for my boy, he finally got the girl he's been mooning over _slash_ talking-nonstop about."

"You said that already," I pointed out. Wally shook his head, "I'm emphasizing how annoying you were when it comes to Raven!"

"So what are you guys doing for Spring Break?" asked Victor, desperate to change the subject.

"I'm hanging out with my Uncle Barry," said Wally, "He's taking me down to the tracks or something. I don't know, the guy likes to race wit me."

Victor nodded and turned to me, "What about you?" I shrugged, "I don't know if Bruce has any plans. I'm kinda hoping I'll just stay here and…maybe spend time with Raven." Victor smirked knowingly at the ebony, "Of course you are."

* * *

"Hello Richard," greeted Tracie. I smiled politely. The woman freaked me out: she wore really short skirts and had more make-up then the Joker (from some aspects).

"Is Raven home?" I ask, getting to the point. Tracie's smile falters. I felt kinda bad for her because she didn't really have any friends (she was new to Gotham and was married to a former gang member) who wanted to visit her. Of course that pity was wiped whenever she spoke harshly to Raven.

"Raven's in her room. See if you can get the witch out." With that, Tracie left allowing me to go upstairs and check on Raven.

Just as I was about to knock, the door flew open, and I cautiously walked in (my Robin senses coming into place). I calmed down when I saw Raven typing furiously on her computer. I wonder if she knew that books were flying around her head (just as well as pencils, papers, a stapler).

"Duck," Raven warned. I raised an eyebrow and was about to close the door, "What do you mean by-" A hardback book hit me in the back of my head. "Never mind."

I turned around, rubbing the back of my head, and glanced at the book. It was a really big Atlas. The Atlas was wrapped in black magic and opened to a specific page, a picture of Europe.

Raven floated out of her chair towards the book. She's just hovering in a lotus position. Putting her chin on her hand, Raven began flipping through its pages with her other hand. When she was finished with that one, she moved to the other floating book and repeated the action.

"You okay, Rae?"

Her eyes don't go off the book. When she's finished with it, she groans and floats back to her computer. Looking over her shoulder, I see she's looking at…airline tickets?

Raven begins to scream curse words and pounds her fist against her keyboard. I'm slightly worried because her scissors and paintbrushes begin floating as well. I put my hands on my girlfriend's shoulders, "Babe, what's going on?"

She sighs and relaxes leisurely as my fingers work to massage her shoulders. She murmurs softly, "I'm just…stressed." I chuckle, "I see that." I move my fingers to her temple and slowly rub them the way Raven likes it.

"What's going on?" I ask again. Raven sighs, "I can't get any plane tickets to Europe."

That gave more questions then answers. "Why do you need plane tickets to Europe?" She tenses again. I roll my eyes, "Okay, get up."

Taking her hand, I pull her off her chair. "Richard, I'm fine, " she protests. I shake my head, "No, you're not. You need to relax Raven." Raven opens her mouth, but I stop her, "If you say you're fine again, I'm going to open those windows and make you look at the sun!"

Raven rolls her eyes, "I'm a half-demon, not a vampire." I tilt my head, "Yes, a half-demon that's making me worried because _scissors_ are floating around your room."

Raven's eyes go wide, "Oh." I kiss her cheek chastely, "Get on the bed." She raises an eyebrow, "Um…that doesn't really help me relax, Dick."

* * *

_I pull a blanket over Raven's pale, naked body. I smile into her skin and leave small butterfly kisses on the skin, "I love you."_

_She pants lightly, "That was…wow." I chuckle, "I know. God I've waited…forever for this." _

_She stiffens slightly when she looks up at the ceiling, "Damn. I really ruined the tree house." I chuckle and bite on her skin, "Nothing I can't fix."_

"_Dick, this is serious."_

_I groan into her neck, and move my lips towards the corner of her mouth. Pecking it lightly, I murmur, "Don't worry about it. Just…relax."_

* * *

"We're not going to do that…today."

She lightly hits my chest. I take this opportunity to grab her wrist again. Leading her to her bed, I force her to lie down (which was semi-difficult because Raven was tired and didn't like being bossed around).

"What are you going to do to me, Richard?" she asks into her black pillow.

I lean over so I'm towering her body. Using my hands, I begin to knead her skin through her shirt. I can't help but feel slightly turned on when Raven moans at the feel of my touch.

"I think you need to give up hero work and become a massage therapist." I chuckle huskily, "It feels good?"

When I move to her lower back, Raven lightly breathes, "So good."

After a couple minutes of it, I move off her and pull her so she's sitting up. Had I gone further, I don't really know if I would've been able to control myself.

She rubbed her neck, "Okay, I'm relaxed." I nod, "So why were you looking at Europe again?" She sighs, "I…I'm going to go find Arella during Spring break."

Well there went my plan of just spending time with her.

"How do you know where she is?" I ask, trying to mask my hurt. Raven's an empath so I'm sure she can feel it. If she can, she's not showing it.

"I had been going through multiple possibilities and narrowed it down to- what's wrong?" So she did notice.

I bite my lower lip, "I was hoping you and I could…you know…hang here. Spend time together."

She looks at me, "Oh…I didn't know." I nod, "Well obviously, I just presented the idea today."

She shifts closer to me, "I know that's what I should be doing for break. But…I have to find my mom. I have to ask her some questions."

I rub my chin, "And you want to go alone?" She raises an eyebrow, "I hadn't really thought about going with anyone else."

Raven smiles lightly when she notices my mood was cheering up. The smile disappears when I offer, "Can I go with you?"

She bites her lower lip, "I didn't think you would want to. It's hot, we'd be traveling and visiting villages all day, and-"

I take her hands in mine, "And we'd be together. I want to spend break with you, so yeah. Plus, it'd be cool to go visit the villages in Europe…where in Europe exactly?"

"Greece."

"Even better. The Greeks gave us democracy…and togas." I smile at the thought of Raven in a toga.

"What about _Batman and Robin_?"

I tilt my head, "Bruce fought without me before, I'm sure he can do it again. Plus…Tim always wanted to do it. Why don't I let him for a week?"

She puts her head on my shoulder, "You really wanna come with me?" I nod, "Yeah. It could be fun."

* * *

_**Raven**_

"So what exactly do I have to do?"

Richard insisted that he talked to Bruce about letting us use his private jet. I had kept to my originally idea of keeping a low profile, but I let Richard win that argument (I ruined his original plans, it was the least I could do for him).

Richard took a Coke from the stewardess and handed it to me, "After the trip is done, we have to attend one of the Wayne Enterprises parties."

"That's why you made me pack a dress?" I asked. He shrugged nonchalantly, "Just the assumption that you and I don't make it back in time, you'll at least have something nice to wear."

"Are you saying I don't dress nice?" I challenge. Richard retaliates, undisturbed by my question, "I think you dress nice. You just look better _without_ clothes."

I playfully slap his arm, "Watch yourself." He sighs and rolls his eyes, "C'mon Rae. I'm a good boy." I chuckle, "Yeah…only when you want something."

His smirk grows on his face, "Why do you think I was so nice to you?"

* * *

After the plane landed at the airport, Richard and I were in a taxicab, driving into the city of Athens. The first village stop would be in Corinth. Because we had arrived mid-afternoon, Richard and I exploited our time to tour the city.

Richard and I debated on if we should rent a bike or a car. His argument was that a bike would get us there faster (having the ability to zip in and out of the lanes). My argument was that a car could carry all our stuff. And after an hour-long argument, and six or seven _rock-paper-scissors _fights…he won. The only benefit: I wasn't going to be the one that carried all the stuff.

Visiting Corinth was a bust. Because it was still our vacation, Richard and I tried to make the best of it. We decided that for each town/village we were dead-ended with, we would try to enjoy it. We were in freaking Greece!

After looking at the artifacts in the Corinth museums, we decided it was time to travel again. I was grateful that we mutually agreed that checking into multiple hotels was a hassle. So far, Richard and I drove through Corinth, Mycenae, and Olympia and were heading towards Delphi. We weren't really willing to go farther then Meteora, so we decided to head back to Athens and try from there. It was a good thing we had almost three days left.

Every time we stopped to view the scenery or grab a bite, I would use the time to study my boyfriend. There was no sense of melancholy radiating off him. He seemed rather…excited being here in Greece. He would sometimes show that he was aggravated about visiting cities my mom weren't in, but it always ended for better. Richard did his best to be positive whenever he saw I was upset we hadn't found Arella, but I know for a fact that he enjoyed just seeing Greece.

I was enjoying myself as well. I never really been outside of Gotham, and the furthest I've been would be the McDonalds on the other side of the bridge. I understood why Arella chose Greece. Every time I turned my head, I was tempted to make Richard stop the bike so I could just sketch or paint the view before me. (That was a terrible idea considering every time I wanted him to stop, we would be in the middle of the road.)

Could I see myself living here? I really think I could. I know Trigon didn't have a lot of money, so my original plan was to get a scholarship at some university and move on with my life (probably becoming a doctor). But I looked at the Aegean Sea and saw something else. I saw myself taking art classes at Gotham University and then…maybe moving here. If not Europe, maybe I'd go to Africa to paint the animals in their natural (and rightful) habitats. I just…I think I need to get out of Gotham.

* * *

"Do you know an Arella Roth?" I asked another local for the umpteenth time. The lady tapped his chin. I sighed and pushed my sunglasses up the bridge of my nose. I reached into my messenger bag and grabbed Arella's photo.

Once seeing the photo, the elder gentleman smiled, and answered with a thick accent, "Ah…you want Ella?" I nodded, "Yes. Where is she?"

The lady licked his lower lip and pointed behind me, "She only comes to Athens for food and drink. She _might_ still be in Santorini."

Once the man left, Richard turned to me, "She _might_ be in Santorini?" I bite my lip, "I know it's a long shot…but…I really think I have a chance to find her."

Richard crosses his arms over her chest, "Raven…"

I wrap my arms around his waist, "Richard, please. I have to know…did she leave because of me?"

Richard wrapped his arms around Raven's waist, "You're lucky I love you." She kissed his jaw, "Yeah I really am."

* * *

"I can't believe you threw up on my shoes!" I yell at Richard.

He wipes his lips, "I'm only sorry I forgot to tell you about my motion sickness." I slip off my sneakers, "You run on the top of buildings, drive a motorcycle, and kick villain ass on a daily business. How is it that you throw up so easily because of a little rocking?"

He glares at me, "Raven I really don't want to get into this conversation with you." I put my hands up innocently, "I'm just saying I think it's pretty funny how a guy can handle knives and bullets…but will throw up if a boat rocks once or twice."

I'm about to turn and start walking when I bump into a big (well bigger then mine) body.

"I'm so sorry ma'am. I wasn't looking where I was going. My boyfriend had-"

"Raven?"

I stare up at a woman. A woman with black, long hair, and purple eyes…eyes like mine.

"Hi…Arella."

* * *

**How was that? I know it sound kinda rushed at the end, but it's a good stopping point.**

**Please read and review.**


	8. Chapter 8

**AN: I hope you like the final chapter. I enjoyed writing this story a lot. **

**I realized (in my earlier chapters), I might have used Jason's character **_**twice. **_**For the sake of my sanity, let's just say there are two different Jasons (it's a common name). Please ignore the other errors.**

**Song Used: Stand by Flyleaf**

* * *

_How long did you bleed for us?__  
__How long did you bleed for us?_

_Hold fast__  
__Don't you look at the past__  
__Because hope and love last__  
__Beyond the end_

* * *

_**Raven**_

"Raven…you've…grown."

I'm completely speechless: the woman who gave birth to me, abused me, and left me was standing here in front of me.

"I've been doing that for a while," I respond, silently wishing my response could've been better.

She's not even slightly amused, "What are you doing here?"

Richard puts his hand on my shoulder, "Rae…"

I ignore my boyfriend, "I just had to ask you some things." She purses her lips, "You came here, to Greece, just to ask me a question?"

I see hear some mockery in her tone. I do my best to remain emotionless, "Considering you didn't leave an email or a phone number, it would've been a terrible coincidence had I guessed your number."

She puts her hand on her hip, "What do you want to ask me?"

I bite my lower lip, "Why'd you do it?" She raises an eyebrow and I continue, "Why did you leave?"

Arella sighs, "I was unhappy." I glare, "And running off to Greece, abandoning your daughter, was a better solution?"

"I had to get away from your _demon_ of a father!"

I shake my head, "And you had to get away from me." I ignore Richard's whispers warning me not to make a scene. I didn't care at this point.

She sighs, "I'm sorry Raven."

"What are you sorry for? Sorry for leaving me or sorry for having me? I know about your abortion appointment."

Her eyes narrow, "Raven. Look, your father was dangerous. He didn't harm you because you were his demonic spawn."

"He's cleaned up!" I defend, "He's not the same guy anymore. He's actually…he's not bad as a dad. But he's much better then you."

Her eyebrows raise, "Sorry to disappoint you but I'm not sorry about how I live my life now. I love not having to worry about a demonic husband and a-"

She doesn't finish her last sentence. But she doesn't really have to. I wipe my left eye, where tears are beginning to fall.

"Mommy, who are you talking to?"

A small child takes Arella's hand. She has big brown eyes and short black hair. Behind her is a tall, African-American man holding a second child.

I stare up at Arella, "You…you have a family?"

"Arella, who's this?" asks the man. Arella stares at me, "She's my first daughter, the one I was telling you about when we met. Raven, this is Barney. He was an old friend from High School. Raven, this is my _husband_ Barney, and our kids: Alice and Jeff."

Barney doesn't smile at me, "I hope you've cleaned up your act, Miss. Ari tells me about what a troubling child you were."

"I'm a troubling child?" I repeat in disbelief. I clench my fist, "Did your _precious_ Ari tell you about how she wasn't even going to go through with having me? How she used to hit me? How she abandoned me?"

"Mommy, is that true?" asked the little girl. Barney points a finger at me, "You watch your tone, Raven."

Richard steps in front of me, "Back off. You don't have any right to be telling her what to do." He takes my hand in his, and I'm only slightly comforted.

The child in Barney's arms begins to cry. I stare at Arella once more, "I don't have any more questions, thank you."

I notice Arella's not even listening to me. She's staring at Richard, "Dick? Dick Grayson? Wow…you've grown." I swallow a barf at her use of reusing sentences.

Richard doesn't convey any emotions, but I feel anger liberating. He simply says, "I'm not here to visit you, Ms. _Roth._ I'm just here for Raven. And I think she's been insulted enough, today."

As Richard and I turn to walk away, Arella calls my name out. I turn around and look at her. She sighs, "Is your father…is he married?"

I scoff, "Did you expect him to just stay on you forever? Sure his new wife is a little bit of a slut, but…as of now…she's earned my respect…the respect you used to have."

"You wouldn't understand Raven."

"You're right," I agree, "I don't understand why you hate me so much. Is it because of me and dad's heritage? Did you only hate me because of something I _can't_ control?"

"Raven, I-"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry that my birth deprived you of the chance of living out your dream. I'm sorry that my body wasn't a sufficient punching bag. I'm sorry I made you felt _obligated_ to stay with Trigon. I'm so damn sorry."

"Raven, it's not that I didn't love you…"

Once again, I cut her off, "Don't lie to me! If you loved me, you would've stayed. You would've been there. No. You decided to be a _good mom_ to someone else…not even to your first daughter."

The lights around us start flickering. I turn around, "We're done."

I start to walk faster back to the docks. I hear Richard running to catch up with me.

Richard grabs my hand, I growl, "Dick, I don't want to-"

He turns me around and pulls me into a hug. Feeling powerless, I succumb to my sadness and sob into his t-shirt.

"She hates me. She has a new family. She _never _loved me."

Richard runs his hand through my hair, and tries to shush me, "Raven, I'm so sorry. You don't deserve any of this."

"For a minute, I actually thought Trigon made up those images. Now…"

Richard tries to pull me in tighter. He places butterfly kisses in my hair, "It's going to be okay. You're better off without her."

I nod in agreement, but continue to sob, "I actually thought _she_ was the innocent one. I thought…"

"I know, Rae. You don't need her."

I pull my face away from his chest and stare into his blue eyes, "No. I have everything I need…right here."

* * *

_**Richard**_

"Hey Bruce, it's me. How's Tim? Anyways, just wanted to let you know that Raven and I are cutting the trip early. We'll try to make it to your big party tonight. I'll call you when we land." And with that, I hang up my phone.

I stare across the private jet to see Raven. She's emotionless and shivering slightly, bringing her knees to her chest.

I walk over and place a blanket over her body. She glares at me, "I'm fine Richard." I kneel down and run a hand through her hair. She tilts her head, "Do I really have to go to the Wayne Enterprises party? I'm not really in the mood."

I sigh, "I know you don't want to, but that was a deal. I know you, Rae, and you never back out of your promises."

She smiles slightly, "Okay. But do I have to wear that dress?" I tilt my head, "Why are you asking questions you already know the answer to?"

She shrugs. I kiss her forehead, "You know I love you, right?" She chuckles, "Why are you asking questions you already know the answer to?"

* * *

Sometimes, I wished Raven and I were always going to fancy parties (not exactly black-tie-optional, though).

Her straightened hair and rosy-red lips had really emphasized beauty in her face (I don't know how that's possible). The beautiful dress and the heels she were wearing really made me tempted not to go to the party at all, and just take my gothic beauty away from the world, inviting her into the _loving_ world we shared together…in the tree house.

Whenever I have Raven in my arms, I have to mentally pinch myself. I'm constantly reminded that I'm in love and happily dating my best friend. The only person, besides Bruce and Alfred, that has never left me or has never hurt me. She was my world, and it was overwhelming how much I loved- _love_- her.

I don't want anyone to take her away from me. Not tonight.

* * *

"_Why are you friends with the vampire?"_

_I glare at the boys in front of me. Because Raven hated sunlight, read books, and never wore colors that were on the rainbow (with the exception of purple and blue), she was the school's pariah. I didn't care. She's been there for me since primary school; I wasn't going to abandon her because of her reputation._

"_She's my best friend," I answer indicating that I never hesitate when it comes to Raven…sort of._

_The footballers grimace, unsatisfied with my answer. The tall, blonde one answers, "You're Bruce Wayne's kid. You know how bad this looks if you're hanging out with Trigon's daughter?"_

_Trigon Roth had recently been released from the hospital. His gang nearly died in a fight, but they won. After Raven visited him, she came to me and cried, telling me about how she hated what he did…and how she told him that._

"_I don't care."_

* * *

"Richard, how are you?" greets Mrs. Smith. I never liked this lady. She was (apparently) good _business_ friends with Bruce.

I fake a smile, "Fine, Mrs. Smith."

"I have some good news for you." I stare, "…Yes?"

She laughs, "My daughter is available. Bruce was telling me about how you had a crush on her once."

I gulp, "Um…as flattering as that is, I'm seeing someone."

"Who?" she asks. I point over to Raven. Raven was staring sadly at the punch and continuously played with her fingers.

Mrs. Smith's face is a mixture of shock and…disgust. She stares at me, "Oh…you would rather have _her_ over my daughter?"

I grimace, "You know nothing about my girlfriend."

"I know she's Trigon Roth's daughter. I believe the apple doesn't fall far from the tree."

"Raven is amazing," I defend, "She's a wonderful art student and is very good in her academics."

Mrs. Smith scoffs, "I don't think you understand Richard. We live in Gotham, nothing matters what you do unless it's being seen by someone else."

I inwardly groan. I hate that she's right. And Raven never had her _best_ moments captured on camera.

The first time people started claiming that Raven was the female version of her father was when a teacher had to separate her for fighting. In her defense, Raven was just beating up Terra for spilling grape juice on Donna's shirt.

The second time was when she and Roy were seen walking around with his heroin and his syringe. In her defense, Raven and Roy went to go throw it out into the river.

The third time, Raven and Toni were seen in a fight in the alley, and holding knives. In her defense, the guy was trying to take advantage of Toni and Raven was using self-defense (I'm grateful Commissioner Gordon got her out of that considering he was the only one that believed Raven's story).

* * *

_**Raven**_

"_I don't care about what the press thinks she did, Mrs. Smith. Raven's my girlfriend and I'm not interested in dating your daughter._"

I pick my head up, recognizing that voice. I see a frustrated Richard walking towards me.

I move towards him and put my hand on his hand, "What happened?"

Richard shakes his head, "Nothing." I glare, "Obviously something if you're all angry now."

He sighs, "Can we talk outside?" My face is in shock, until I decide to hide my emotions, "Sure."

* * *

"_Why don't you ever want to go to the mall?" Richard asks me one day. I stare at him, "It's loud, it's overcrowded, and I don't go unless I need something. Why, you don't like hanging here?"_

_Richard grimaces, "I'm just…I thought we would spend our Saturdays doing something fun."_

"_You mean me painting and you sitting their taking in oxygen isn't fun?"_

_He ignores me. I don't know if he knows I can hear him when he mutters under his breath, "Normal girls go to the mall."_

_I kick him in his shin. He rolls around and groans, "What was that for?"_

"_What was with the whole 'normal girls' thing?" He sighed, "I just…I don't know, I want to do something normal with you."_

"_Define normal, Dick. And who cares if I don't like being normal? It means I'm my own person. That's never bothered you before."_

"_It doesn't bother me…it just…I don't know, people keep coming up to me and asking why I hang out with you and…" The can that holds my paintbrushes explodes, but we both ignore it._

"_No one said you were obligated to hang out with me, Dick. Have a nice life."_

_That was the first fight we had, and we didn't talk for at least a weak. Honestly, not having him around was excruciating. He was my rock and the one I leaned on. _

_It never really bothered me whenever people called me a freak or abnormal or creepy. I thought that made me unique, different from everyone else. It's bad enough when a large percentage of the student body picks on you, but…knowing that my best friend, the guy I trusted more than anyone, even thought that I was a freak…it hurt._

_Of course he and I made up, but I noticed Richard never made the comment about me being normal. I always wondered if he still felt that way._

* * *

"So why were you yelling at Mrs. Smith?" I ask. He shakes his head, "She kept making this accusations about you."

I can't help but chuckle, "You're worried about what some old hag thinks about me?"

"It's not _just_ her. Everyone thinks that…you know what, you're right. It doesn't matter."

Richard gets up to leave, but I stand in front of him. I narrow my eyes at him, "It's clearly bothering you if you had to go outside for some steam."

"I just…I don't want you to be upset by their comments."

My eyes widen in realization, "You don't want me to lose control…on my emotions."

Richard looks at me, "That's not it. I'm being protective."

"You don't need to be protective, Dick. I can take care of myself."

"I know, you have _powers_."

I stare confused at him, "Does it bother you so much?" He huffs, "I don't know. I know _you_ have to be worried about control and everything but _I _have to worry about how to explain or defend you."

"Well I'm sorry," I apologize (mockingly), "I'm sorry that _you_ have to worry. I don't want to be a _hassle _for you. I'll just go."

"Raven that's not what I meant. I'm just…I know you can't control how this happened to you…but it was _his_ fault."

_It was his fault._

_His fault._

_Fault._

"So it's not my powers," I conclude, "It's my heritage."

"No Raven. It's something I could get used to."

"You shouldn't have to _get used to _anything," I say, "Love is when you _accept_ another person's flaws and learn to love them, not when you learn a factor about them and secretly hide the fact that it bothers you."

Ignoring Richard's pleads, I walk away from my boyfriend.

I have no idea where I'm going, I just keep walking.

"Well, look what we have here?"

I turn to around to see a man. Half of him looked potentially normal, while the other half looked…psychotic.

* * *

_**Richard**_

Bruce grabbed my arm, pulling me towards the Bat Cave, "We're going."

I stare up at my mentor, confused as ever, "Where are we going?"

"Two-Face captured a citizen. I don't know why, but I do know where."

"What about the party?" I ask. I often kept reminding Bruce about…_Bruce_.

He smirks, "Alfred and Tim are taking care of it."

* * *

"Hello, Batman! How are you and the little birdy doing?"

Batman glares, "What do you want Harvey?"

Two-Face laughs, "You never answer my questions, Batman." Batman clenches his teeth, "What's your big plan this time?" Sometimes I wonder how Bruce/Batman even got the tittle of 'greatest detective'.

Two-Face continues to laugh while pointing at a bank, "Oh nothing, I just plan on blowing up _that_ apartment."

I raise my eyebrow, "That's it? That's your big plan?"

"It's a big bank, Boy Wonder," he snickers, "Of course that's not _all_. I have a task for _each_ of you. Look over there, Robin!"

Doing as he instructed, I see he's pointing at…he's pointing at the top of another building (what is with him and buildings?).

The building's only a jump away. On the top is a girl surrounded by barrels. A girl with long black hair…and a skull dress…

Oh my god.

I'm about to attack him, but Batman puts his hand in front of me. Two-Face smiles, "Holy Damsel in Distress, huh? That poor teenager is only a two minutes away from blowing. So you two get to decide: are you going to save those civilians or are you going to fight me?"

Ignoring both Two-Face and Batman, I take out my grappling hook and jump off the top of this building. I aim towards the building Raven's at and soar my way to her rescue (as cliché as that sounds).

"Robin," exclaimed Raven when she saw me land.

Checking the timer, I see that I only have a minute and thirty seconds left. I growl and take out a Batarang to untie Raven. "I'm so sorry, Rae," I murmur to her. She sighs, "Apologize later."

"Can you use her powers?" I ask. She shakes her head, "He drugged me…it's going to take a while for me to be able to use them again."

"I wish I had time to ask how that makes sense." She glares and begins to help me untie her feet, "Keep in mind, _Robin,_ I'm half human."

I glance once more at the clock. Damn, ten seconds.

I move Raven's arms around my neck and pick her up bridal style. Using my grappling hook, I aim for the next building. "Hold on," I murmur. She scoffs, "I don't have a choice."

We begin fling off the building, but the debris catches up with us. "Argh," I groan when a burning peace of metal hits my gloved hand. Based on the typical human reaction, I have no choice but to let go.

I clutch Raven's body closer to mine as we begin rolling on the floor (thanking whatever god is looking after me…and for only being only a few feet from the ground that I can land on a car). Raven and I fall off the car and land on the concrete road.

I stand up and see Two-Face. He growls, "That must've been too easy for you, Boy Wonder."

I grit my teeth, "I still have time to face you, don't I?" He pulls out his gun and his coin, "Let's see: tails, I let you have the first attack, heads, I get the first shot."

He proceeds to flip it in the air, and it skillfully lands on his palm. He cackles, "Heads!"

"Robin!"

Without awareness, I'm pushed to the ground and I land on my arms.

Turning my head, I see Raven…standing just where I was. Only difference:

She has blood gushing down her chest.

"No," I cry. I ignore the fact that I'm supposed to go after Two-Face. Raven's prepared to fall, but I wrap an arm around her waist and lead her carefully towards the ground.

She coughs and I see a drop of blood sliding down the side of her mouth.

I run my hand through her hair, "Why didn't you use your powers?"

"I wasn't…thinking," she coughs out.

I kiss her forehead, "I'm so sorry, Rae." She chuckles lightly, "It's okay."

"No it's not," I argue, "It's my fault. I'm so sorry Raven."

She continues to cough. I take her into my arms and bury my face into her neck. She puts her hand on my head, "You're going to be okay."

"No," I plead, "Don't leave me. You promised. You said you would never leave me."

She puts her hand on my neck, "Make sure I'm wearing black and blue, okay…Richard…"

I place a small kiss on her lips. "I love you…so much. You can't leave me. I won't let you," I cry against her lips. I pull my mask off, not caring if anyone else sees my eyes or my identity.

She gives me a small smile, "I…love…you…too."

Raven's head rolls back. I feel her pulse stopping. I can't help but bury my face further into her neck.

She broke her promise. She left me.

* * *

"I'm sorry, Dick," says Bruce as we're in the Bat Cave.

I shake my head, "It's not your fault. It's _his_."

"Dick, I know what you're thinking. Revenge will get you nowhere."

"I loved her Bruce. She promised she would never leave and she did. She left me. I lost the love of my life, and all you can tell me is that revenge will get me nowhere."

He sighs, "You're angry, I understand. You lost your best friend and-"

"And nothing. Stop telling me what to do, Bruce!"

"Don't be angry with me, Dick," Bruce argues, calmly, "I don't know what to tell you."

I scoff, "Well I have something to tell you: I quit!"

Bruce's eyes widen, "What?"

I glare, "I don't want to be the Boy Wonder anymore. Give it to Tim, he wants it more. And thank, Two-Face while you're at it."

* * *

How to tell Trigon, Donna, Roy, or Toni was the least of my worries. How to move on…without my Raven… was an entire different story.

I sat in my room, staring at the picture album of me and Raven (a gift from Alfred).

The first picture of us always comforted me. It reminded me that she was the second person to reach out to me, especially since I was hurting.

I trace over Raven's young face with my finger.

* * *

"_Happy birthday, Dick!"_

_I look up at her, "How…how'd you know?" She giggles, "Alfred told me! Look…I painted you a picture. Do you like it?"_

_I stare down at the canvas. It's not a picture of her or me, it's a picture of birds. Birds that reminded me of…the first time we were sculpting together._

"_It's pretty, Raven," I answer honestly. I can't help but giggle when Raven's face lights up, "Really? I didn't think you would like it."_

_I wrap her in a hug, "I love it. You're the best, Rae. But…can I ask you something?" She stares at me, "Anything."_

_I sigh, "For my birthday, I want your word…that you'll never leave me. No matter if I hurt you or if you hurt me, we'll always be there for each other."_

_She laughs, "Promise. I'll always be there for you."_

* * *

"You're a liar," I mutter more to her picture, "You left. You left me."

I can't help but feel anger all over again. I throw the photo album at the wall. Once it hits, photos of Raven and I fly out.

I wipe at my tears and turn to my side. Near my lamp is a picture of me and Raven…a recent one.

Raven was blushing and I was kissing her. It wasn't completely proportionate considering I wasn't angling the camera well.

* * *

"_Will you smile?" I ask, pressuring her._

_She scowls, "I don't smile for picture, Dick."_

_I give her a puppy-eyed look, "Please, for me?" She crosses her arms stubbornly over her chest, "Nope."_

_I sigh. Suddenly, the imaginary light bulb goes off._

"_Hey Raven…"_

_She turns her head to me…and I plant a big on eon her. _

_Her protests are muffled and she ignores the fact that my camera just made a flash._

* * *

I pull the picture closer to me, "Why'd you go, Raven?" Wiping at my eyes, I put the picture back in its place.

I roll around on my bed, and feel a piece of paper at my waist. Sitting up, I grab the paper.

It's a polaroid picture of Raven and me. She's wearing a stunning blue and black dress, and I'm wearing a tux. I now realize it was the picture of us at homecoming.

I murmur to the picture, "You want to wear black and blue, right?" Raven's photo doesn't respond.

I get off my bed and walk over to my closet. Opening it, I take out the Robin uniform.

_Then black and blue it is._

* * *

**How was it as an ending? The next chapter will be the epilogue. **

**I hope you all enjoyed the story. I read (on the DC Comics Wiki) that Dick Grayson quit because of Two-Face, so I tried to tie that in. I hope I did my best to convey the transformation of Nightwing.**

**Please Read and Review.**


	9. Chapter 9

**AN: I thought I'd write the epilogue while I'm up…although I should be sleeping or something**

**Please enjoy and ignore my errors. And I'm thankful for everyone who has been following the story.**

**Song: The End by Bullet For My Valentine**

* * *

_Your scent reminds me of a place we used to go__  
__The kisses placed upon my neck show signs of, no return!__  
__The bed we fucked in, smells the same, and now the the stench is fading__  
__The taste of you inside my mouth remains but still I'm hearing_

* * *

_**Richard**_

"My daughter…is dead."

I bite my lower lip, looking at Raven's father. I nod, "I'm sorry."

Trigon grimaces, "How?"

I run a hand through my hair, "_Commissioner Gordon_ said that she was shot, sir."

Out of anger (I hope), Trigon throws a mug at the window. He growls, "Who did it?"

I grip my shirt, "I don't know."

Trigon walks up to me and grabs my collar, "Yes you do! You know, and you'll tell me!"

One thing that bothers me is that he has four eyes, four red eyes. Something I've never seen on Raven.

Despite the fact that I'm terrified to my very soul, I keep my emotions in place, "Trigon, please calm down."

He finally hears me and decides to let me go. I can't help but feel guilty for lying about this. He deserves to know.

"Two-Face killed her."

"That stick in the mud, Harvey Dent?" I shrug.

Trigon notices me. He's staring at me, and he puts his hand on my shoulder, "I'm sorry, Richard. I knew she was your best friend." I chuckle, "But she was your daughter, that sure as hell has to hurt more."

He smirks when I say 'as hell'. He tilts his head, "You know, don't you?" I nod, "Raven told me."

He sits down and runs his hand through his hair, "Most of her life…she spent it hating me. You have to imagine how I feel knowing that…at the last minute…she realizes the world I painted for her was a lie, and that she finally loved me."

I bite my lower lip, "What was she doing during Spring Break?" He stares at me, "She told me she was on a road trip with you." I shake my head, "I took her to Greece…we met Arella again."

His eyebrows raise. I sigh, "Arella…she has a new family now. And I think Raven realized she loved you more."

Trigon sighed, "I think I regret changing her memories even more now." I sit in front of him, "You had good intentions. You were trying to protect her." He shakes his heads, gripping his knees.

"Is something wrong?"

He stares hard at me, "You don't get it, Richard. You don't get what it's like…to have this demon side on me. I feel…I feel the need for revenge. I've lived on this Earth too long, I've developed a soft side."

"Raven would probably want you to suppress it. If you take your revenge…you're no better then him."

Trigon nods, indicating he understands, "It sounds like you've thought about it also."

_You have no idea_.

* * *

Raven's funeral was small, and that was good. It was only those who were really close to her.

I haven't really talked to Roy, Donna, or Toni, to know how they were doing. Raven was close to them, so they must be feeling some sort of pain. I know I was.

Everyone constantly asked me how I was doing, and if I was okay. I never had a great answer.

After Raven's death, I finished high school and decided not to go to college. I know it upset Bruce, but I was old enough to make my own decisions.

I moved to Blüdhaven. It was the replicated Gotham, and they needed a hero. But being Robin wouldn't have any effect. They'd all ask me the same question, "Where's Batman, Boy Wonder?"

Like I _promised_ Raven, I took up a new color. Black and blue were the colors I cladded at night. I took a new name, as well. To remind me always of my favorite bird (in it's own personal way).

I was now _Nightwing_.

* * *

A robber grabbed a woman and muttered to her_, _"Listen you bitch, if you don't give me your money I'll fucking-"

"Wow, is that how you talk to all women?"

The man stared at me and gasped. Immediately, he dropped to his knees and put his hands in the air. The woman scurried off when I walked over to handcuff the guy. I smirk, "That was easy."

"Hello, _Nightwing_," greets a familiar voice.

I turned around to face my old mentor.

Batman crosses his arms firmly over his chest. I growl, "So that's why it was so easy? You never let me do these things on my own, do you?"

He sighs, "Nightwing, I didn't come here to fight with you."

I shrug, "That's no fun. What about _Robin_? He like his uniform?" Batman smirks slightly, "Yes, he's adjusting." Nightwing couldn't help but smirk as well, "Good."

Batman and Nightwing began to leave the robber behind after dialing the police. From the top of the building, it would look like two old friends meeting up. In a way, it kinda was like that.

"You've been isolating yourself," comments Batman. Nightwing shakes his head, "Not exactly. I had dinner with Victor a couple weeks ago."

"I think _she_ would've been proud of you, Dick."

I glare at him, "What makes you say _that_?" He tilts his cowl-covered head, "You're still fighting for justice, Dick."

I proceed to walk away, "I think I would _prefer_ if she was here to actually tell me that."

"Richard, may I ask you something?"

"You already have, Batman." He ignores my sarcasm and provides the real question, "Where do you see yourself…had she been here?"

I raise my eyebrow at Batman, "Honestly. I would've given up my hero life. Raven hates secrets, and I refuse to lie to her. Is that really what you came to ask me?"

He shakes his head, "I came to tell you that Trigon Roth has been looking for you." I stare at him, "Why?" Batman shrugs, "Something about closure."

* * *

"Richard…you know of my heritage."

I nod, "And, sir?"

Trigon stares at me, smile in his eyes, "I…I want to give you something. A way to thank you…for always being there for Raven."

I tilt my head in confusion, "Um…will it fit in my apartment?"

Trigon chuckles, "I sadly can't let you take it home."

"Okay…what is it?"

Trigon puts his hand on my shoulder, "How would you like…to finally say goodbye to Raven?"

I stare at Trigon, "Excuse me?"

He shrugs, "I…I can give you…a one trip to hell. One last time, to say goodbye to Raven's soul."

I nod like an obedient dog, "When do I pack?"

Trigon shakes his head, almost mocking me. With a flick of his hand, I see a red, orange (flamed) portal.

"After you," commanded Trigon. I decide it's best if I don't argue with him.

One step through, and I land on a rocky bridge. In fact, I felt as if I was in a cave instead of…well, hell.

Trigon walks in front of me. But…I don't think it's Trigon. It's a very big, muscular red-skinned man with four eyes.

Trigon opens a wooden door and asks me to walk in. "Daughter," Trigon calls in an unrecognizable voice, "I have a visitor for you."

A shining…star comes towards me. In mere seconds, a woman with long, dark hair and beautiful purple eyes is staring at me. She's wearing a beautiful white cloak, and underneath is a white leotard (showing off her marvelous legs).

"Hi…Raven…"

* * *

**That was a terrible epilogue…and I know I could do better, but I wanted to get it out to you all as a present!**

**I hope you enjoyed reading this story.**

**Please Read and Review.**


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